‘Mamatay man:’ Bato says no ‘money-making’ at NBP when he was BuCor chief

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa on Thursday said there were no money-making rackets at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) during his stint as chief of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor).

Rafael Ragos, who served as BuCor chief during Senator Leila de Lima’s time as justice secretary, earlier exposed several money-making schemes inside the NBP at the Senate justice and human rights committee’s probe into the alleged corruption within BuCor.

The schemes, according to Ragos, included the smuggling of prostitutes and contrabands like cellular phones, drugs or alcoholic drinks for a certain amounts of money.

READ: Of ‘tilapia’ and women: More money-making schemes inside Bilibid exposed

“Gusto ko lang klaruhin, kasi ito baka nagkaroon ng masamang impression yung publiko na dahil dun as sinasabi nila Mr. Ragos na kung nangyayari yan nung panahon ni Secretary De Lima, it doesn’t follow na nangyayari pa rin sa panahon ni Secretary (Vitaliano) Aguirre at kay Secretary (Menardo) Guevarra,” Dela Rosa said during the resumption of the Senate panel investigation.

“Ako mismo, nag-director ako do’n, mamatay man ako, hindi nangyayari ‘yang sinasabi ni Mr. Ragos sa panahon natin,” he added.

Before this, Dela Rosa had asked BuCor legal chief Frederic Anthony Santos if he did indeed agree that such schemes continued to happen even after De Lima’s stint as justice secretary.

Santos, Dela Rosa said, nodded his head when Senator Panfilo Lacson earlier asked him if the alleged money-making schemes remains to be a practice inside the NBP.

In response to Dela Rosa’s query, Santos said: “Siguro po nalito po ko sa tanong ni Senator nun, simula po nung dumating kayo…wala na po nun lalo na po nung nagumpisang mag-raid dun sa Bilibid, wala na po nung mga sinasabi nilang tilapia, yung mga nagsususgal.”/muf