MANILA, Philippines–Another official of the New Bilibid Prison is set to be removed from his post, in what NBP officer in charge Supt. Richard Schwarzkopf said was part of the process of making “changes” for the better at the problem-laden facility.
Schwarzkopf said in a phone interview on Tuesday that Insp. Danilo Monsalud would “definitely” be relieved as head of the gate security control unit in light of reports that persons who should not have been allowed entry into the prison compound had managed to gain access.
Schwarzkopf earlier told the Inquirer that Monsalud had already been relieved together with four other NBP officials—Danilo Dador, Ricardo Sespeñe, Lucio Guevarra and Roberto Mandap—on Monday.
He said he “would order Monsalud’s relief today or on Tuesday,” and that he was looking for a replacement.
“All of these relief orders, these are part of the ongoing changes we are making in the NBP,” he said.
Meanwhile, only immediate family members would be allowed to visit inmates at the NBP in Muntinlupa City during the remainder of the holiday season, Schwarzkopf said, following reports that “starlets” had guested at the convicts’ Christmas parties last week.
“For the New Year, only immediate relatives will be permitted [entry]. Friends, even cousins, will not be allowed for now,” he said.
The prison official confirmed that female entertainers had been guests at the parties on Dec. 24 or 25, and that approval of their presence was probably given before he assumed OIC duties on Dec. 22.
“The approvals [were given] prior to my assumption of duty but I will double check because I started on Dec. 22 [while] the [parties] happened on Dec. 24 or 25. I will see what are on the documents,” Schwarzkopf told reporters.
He said Justice Secretary Leila de Lima had earlier ordered the suspension of the four officers following the unauthorized entry of the entertainers.
“There were reports that reached our secretary and this resulted in the immediate relief of some of our officials,” he said.
Schwarzkopf said he had yet to ascertain the identities of the entertainers and that they were checking closed circuit TV footage to help them identify the women.
Probe other prisons
De Lima, meanwhile, said she would investigate the special treatment given to convicts in penal farms in the provinces.
“I have heard reports that in penal farms and colonies, there are also illegal activities, though on a lesser scale,” she said in a radio interview.
Aside from the NBP, the other penitentiaries run by the Bureau of Corrections are the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City and Panabo City, Davao del Norte; the penal farms in Iwahig, Puerto Princesa City; Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro; San Ramon in Zamboanga City; Abuyog in Leyte, and Panabo.
Convicts’ rights
In a related development, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has issued a reminder that the rights of the convicts must be respected, even as the public’s right to security is protected.
The CHR made the statement following the transfer of 18 high-profile and wealthy convicts from the NBP’s maximum security compound to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) jail in Manila after several raids uncovered their lavish prison lifestyles.
CHR Chair Loretta Ann Rosales said that while the arresting and investigating teams under the Department of Justice (DOJ) must be fully supported in order to eradicate drug trafficking and other illegal operations in the prison, the basic rights of the inmates to legal counsel and family visits should be considered.
“The collective right to peace, security and safety against heinous crimes related to drug trafficking is a fundamental concern not just of the government but of all sectors of society,” she said.
Rosales visited the inmates at the NBI on Dec. 27 to ensure that their rights were being respected.
It will be recalled that the NBI, led by De Lima, conducted three successive raids at the NBP during it was found that several wealthy inmates were enjoying lavish lifestyles and continued to run their illegal enterprises from the prison.
Rosales described the NBI’s facility, which is considered an extension of the NBP, as “spacious, cool and comfortable with double-deck beds in two rooms, a common bathroom and an open veranda.” The NBI is also under the DOJ.–With a report from Julie M. Aurelio