New Bilibid inmates yield over 300 weapons

Bureau of Corrections and prison officials examine some of the over 300 deadly weapons seized from inmates. ALEX AUSTRIA

Following two stabbings last month, several raids conducted by officials of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) have yielded more than 300 deadly weapons, 95 percent of which were improvised.

This was revealed by Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) director Franklin Jesus Bucayu on Friday as he showed the Inquirer the items seized from the national penitentiary’s maximum security compound in weekly raids that started on March 21.

“Some were voluntarily surrendered but many [were forcibly] recovered,” said Bucayu.

Among the seized improvised weapons were knives and shotguns, including a .40-cal. handgun surrendered by a Sputnik gang member.

According to Bucayu, most of the bladed weapons were made from metal taken from beds, fences and utensils and then sharpened.

A goat’s skull, crochet needle and lead pipes turned into makeshift shotguns were also recovered.

Because there are at least 12 rival gangs inside the penitentiary, inmates feel they need to possess deadly weapons in case they are attacked, said Rey Liwag, NBP head of security.

“It’s survival of the fittest in there,” he said.

Though NBP officials filed criminal cases against some inmates for possession of deadly weapons, NBP superintendent Fajardo Lansangan said that these were usually dismissed on a technicality. For a case to prosper, he explained, the weapons must be found on the accused while he is outside his place of residence and for inmates, the prison is considered home.

“What needs to be done is a revision of the laws on deadly weapons so that inmates who possess them [inside the NBP] can be charged,” Lansangan said.

The weekly raids were further intensified following the April 18 incident in which maximum security compound inmate Lauro Lumapas Jr. was shot dead after he ran amuck and wounded prison guards Eduardo Ordonez and Jerome Araullo with an ice pick.

Exactly a week after, another stabbing—this time due to an altercation among inmates—broke out inside the NBP, leaving prisoners Ramil Cuasito and Arturo Oaperina dead.—With Alex Austria, trainee