MANILA, Philippines—A plan to immediately dismantle motel-like cubicles and structures (“kubols”) inside the maximum security compound of the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) was temporarily put on hold by the Department of Justice (DoJ).
Justice Secretary Leila De Lima said in a press conference on Wednesday that she wants to study the prison system first, coordinate with the influential gang commanders inside, and wait for an action plan from the technical working group created recently to institute reforms inside the NBP.
“I am open to further validating it [kubol system],” De Lima said told the media. “I really want to find out what are the advantages and disadvantages of the ‘kubol’ system. If there are more disadvantages, then we will proceed with the dismantling,” she vowed.
Earlier on Tuesday, De Lima had ordered the dismantling of “kubols”, or stand-alone huts, inside the NBP in Muntinlupa City (Metro Manila), after these were found to have amenities which were markedly different from those where the vast majority of inmates were housed inside the 10-hectare facility.
While on an inspection of the NBP last Tuesday, De Lima and members of the House Committee on Justice were stunned to see several irregularities, which included the existence of comfortable living quarters for ostensibly financially well-off, and ‘connected’ prisoners.
One of the huts was discovered to belong to a convicted drug lord of Chinese descent.
“While . . . Filipinos are staying in a crammed area [inside the prisons], here you will see these [foreign prisoners] living like kings,” noted justice committee chairman, and Rep. Niel Tupaz Jr. of the Fifth District of Iloilo province.
The drug lord’s hut, which prompted De Lima to order its immediate dismantling, and others like it, was found to have ‘unique’ amenities, not usually found inside a maximum security prison, including dining and kitchen sets, wall-to-wall mirrors, a well-appointed bathroom, and even a children’s playground.
The justice secretary said on Wednesday that she will continue with her dialogue with the gang leaders inside the national penitentiary who aired their grievances to her. Among the grievances was the supposed un-appreciation by prison officials of the efforts of gang leaders to help in the institution of reforms for their fellow inmates inside the NBP.
“The gang commanders said we should also highlight the good things that they are doing to institute reforms inside [the prison facility]…I intend to dialogue with them further,” De Lima said.
De Lima acknowledged that the gangs “are almost in control” of the prison facility. Prior to the much publicized incident when a convicted murderer, former Batangas governor Jose Antonio Leviste, was arrested by police outside of the NBP, she said she conducted a surprise visit inside the NBP after the necrological services of BuCor assistant director Rodrigo Mercado.
“I think the BuCor (Bureau of Corrections) officials and personnel now have limited supervision over all the inmates because of these gangs,” she observed.
The gang commanders, she said, told her that the ‘kubols’ are not only for a privileged few but for everyone, and is not the source of congestion inside the maximum security compound.
“I want to understand how it is really being managed and what are the arrangements,” she said.
De Lima said while former NBP chief Ernesto Diokno had already ordered the dismantling of the ‘kubols’, the actual implementation of the order was proving to be difficult because there are over 200 such structures inside the maximum security compound.
During her surprise visit inside the maximum security compound after the necrological services of the former BuCor assistant director Mendoza, she said she observed that only one or two inmates occupied the ‘kubol’, and were mostly Chinese nationals facing drug cases.
However, when the lawmakers conducted their own inspection last Tuesday, the alleged Chinese nationals were nowhere to be found, and in their place were Filipino inmates living inside the ‘kubols.’
“Ewan ko kung saan na sila dinala (“I don’t know where they were taken”),” De Lima said.
The Technical Working Group will start work next week. The TWG will be tasked to come up with a plan to eradicate the anomalies inside the prison facility, aside from those that caused the arrest of Leviste last month.
Among the recommendations was one from De Lima herself who had opened, last Tuesday, the possibility of merging the Bureau of Corrections, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and provincial prisons into a single system that will be supervised by certified experts.
The Justice chief said that all anomalies occurring inside jails nationwide could only be checked through a unified penitentiary system.
“We must have a unified [and] integrated penitentiary system. We must start to push for appropriate legislation” for it, De Lima had said.
Her proposal was favorably received by members of the justice panel of the House of Representatives. But some congressmen, particularly Ilocos Region rep. Rodolfo Farinas, voiced their skepticism over congress’ willingness, or lack thereof, to enact a law creating a modern, state-of-the-art penitentiary system considering the billions of pesos it would require.