De Lima takes extra precautions following Bilibid raid

MANILA—Heeding the advice of her security personnel, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima has restricted her movements and posted a bomb sniffing dog outside her office at the Department of Justice.

“On advice of my security guys, we have taken several security measures these days. My outside engagements, especially in open and public places, have been restricted,’’ De Lima told the Inquirer in a text message responding to a query about the sniffer dog posted at the door of her office.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

“The presence of the sniffing dog right outside my office is just a temporary security measure while the NBP issue is still burning,’’ De Lima said.

De Lima also clarified that her ultimatum to prison gang leaders to surrender all contraband was only up to Dec. 24, Wednesday.

She said that she met with all 12 gang leaders inside the New Bilibid Prison, not only JB Sebastian of the Commando Gang and Oliver Soliva of the Batang City Jail.

She added that three representatives from the Cuerno group and those who were not affiliated with any gang were also present at the meeting on Friday which she arranged to ask for their cooperation.

De Lima returned to the NBP maximum-security compound early Friday, at the head of a group of heavily armed National Bureau of Investigation agents and her own security people to personally check if her order to dismantle and destroy all signs of high living by influential inmates had been carried out.

Twenty inmates, all convicted drug criminals, were transferred from the national penitentiary to the NBI after Monday’s raid.

De Lima earlier said the prison gangs at NBP provided protection to the drug convicts. She said gang leaders would conduct biddings to vie to be the protector of a new inmate, particularly those convicted of drug crimes.

De Lima asked for the cooperation of the leaders to ensure that no untoward incident would happen because of the removal of the high-profile inmates and the dismantling of the VIP prisoners’ luxurious quarters.

Among those uncovered during the raid last Monday were drugs, electronic gadgets, a sex doll and pornographic CDs, as well as a cache of firearms in the quarters of the VIP inmates.

They also uncovered a sauna, a jacuzzi and a game console, among other amenities, behind fake walls.

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