MANILA, Philippines — The riot at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) on Monday where four inmates were killed may be related to a previous riot at the national penitentiary in October where nine inmates were killed, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) said Wednesday.
“We are connecting it with the riot that happened last month. Hindi natin maitatanggi ‘yun na hindi sila connected (We cannot deny that they are connected),” BuCor spokesperson Gabriel Chaclag said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel.
According to Chaclag, 20 of the 62 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) at the NBP who were injured in the latest riot are still confined at the Ospital ng Muntinlupa. None of the PDLs who remain hospitalized are in critical condition.
To recall, the October 9 riot stemmed from a fight between the Sigue Sigue Sputnik (SSS) and Sigue Sigue Commando (SSC) gangs. BuCor earlier said that the fight erupted “because of perceived disrespect to an LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) member of one group.”
Asked if the riot last Monday stemmed from one of the gangs wanting to retaliate, Chaclag said: “Tama po ‘yun kasi ‘yung gang culture nga, gusto nilang maghiganti. Dahil dehado ‘yung isang grupo last month, gusto talaga nilang gumanti.”
(That’s right. As they want to retaliate. That is gang culture. Because one of the groups was placed at a disadvantage last month, they want to retaliate.)
Chaclag also said that the riots may have been fueled by the PDL’s boredom because of the suspension of some activities and physical visitation at the NBP due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
“We recognize na ‘yung situation ngayon dito ay dahil doon sa pagkaburyong ng mga PDL, dahil mula noong March 10 wala pa silang dalaw,” he said, assuring that BuCor will implement “strong” interventions to prevent further riots from happening at the prison compound.
(We recognize that the situation here now is triggered by the boredom of PDLs, as since March 10, they have not been getting any visits.)
He added that BuCor Director-General Gerald Bantag has already allowed the resumption of reformation activities at the national penitentiary, which include religious services and visits from non-government organizations that are supporting PDLs.