P18M in tobacco rolls among contraband found at NBP

DEMOLITION MAN BuCor chief Gerald Bantag takes a mallet to some of the banned items found at the national penitentiary. MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

MANILA, Philippines — Some P18 million worth of rolls of dried tobacco leaves, cell phones, laptops and other contraband seized from or surrendered by New Bilibid Prison (NBP) inmates were destroyed on Monday.

Director General Gerald Bantag, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief, smashed with a mallet some of the banned items before these were flattened by a steamroller.

According to him, this symbolized the flattening out of corruption in the BuCor.

The contraband were found or surrendered in a series of operations that began on Oct. 9, when Bantag started demolishing several “kubol” or quarters built by inmates inside NBP’s maximum security compound.

The banned items included thousands of cell phones, chargers, laptops, VCDs, adult magazines, bladed weapons and gallons of homemade liquor.

Also found were 4,629 rolls of dried tobacco leaves worth over P18 million. One of the most sought-after contraband inside the prison, each roll costs P4,000, according to the BuCor.

Bantag said that each roll could be repacked into smaller rolls as thin as a cigarette stick. These were sold to inmates at P50 each.

In a speech on Monday, Bantag expressed his frustration at how long it was taking for his campaign to reform the BuCor to bear results. He was appointed to the bureau in September.

Bantag warned that more BuCor personnel would be axed if they would not cooperate with him.

“I have received intelligence reports that you are making demolition jobs against me. Some want to kill me. Fine, do it, but let us do our jobs,” he said.