BOTTOMLESS ARSENAL Guns and other contraband continue to be found Thursday in the cells of the New Bilibid Prison weeks after the crackdown initiated by the Department of Justice on its so-called VIPs (very important prisoners).JOAN BONDOC
MANILA, Philippines—A retaliatory move, a gang war or an act of sabotage.
These were the three theories put forward by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima for Thursday’s grenade attack in the maximum security compound of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) which left an inmate dead and 19 others injured.
The explosion happened at 9:55 a.m. in the vicinity of Building 5D which, authorities said, housed members of the Commando Gang.
A gang member, Jojo Fampo, died while being treated at the NBP Hospital for puncture wounds in the chest and other parts of the body.
Among those injured were Eduardo Buenaventura Sr., Boby Torres, Laurio Felixberto, Reynaldo Cruz, Dominador Machete, Ramon Aguiling, Melchor Ingel, Eddie Garcia, Eduardo Ortillo, Anthony Nolla, Carlito Pili, Rowell Letun and Dexter Romero, also members of the Commando Gang; Ibrahim Lungbos of Batman Gang; and Ronald Javier, Macario Raja and Custodio Roxas of the Sputnik Gang.
A report said that two of the 19 who were injured—Alvin Cruz and R-Jay Lacdan—were in critical condition but De Lima, who conducted an inspection at the NBP in the afternoon, clarified that there were three inmates in serious condition at the Ospital ng Muntinlupa. She did not identify the third prisoner.
She told reporters that based on an initial report, the grenade appeared to have come from an area occupied by Sputnik Gang members. “But that is not yet a conclusive finding. That’s just an initial report. That will be validated by the post blast investigation that is being done now,” she said.
According to her, the “physical and technical aspects” of the investigation are being handled by the explosives and ordnance units of the Muntinlupa police and the National Bureau of Investigation.
De Lima said among the angles being examined by the probers were retaliation, a gang war and sabotage.
She explained that five minutes before the explosion occurred, Commando Gang leader JB Sebastian was seated in the area. However, he left before the attack occurred.
De Lima said that some of the high-profile inmates recently transferred from the NBP to the NBI believed that Sebastian had tipped off authorities to the contraband and luxury items found inside their “kubol” or quarters.
“[That’s] something that I deny categorically. He’s not our tipster,” she added.
A source, however, who asked for anonymity told the Inquirer that Sebastian was definitely the target. “He was seated on the spot where the grenade exploded just minutes before but he stood up and walked away,” the source said.
A report about the illegal activities at the NBP stated that Sebastian’s group was the protector of illegal drug convict Peter Co.
“[Sebastian] is being used by drug lords to eliminate drug distributors who fail to remit proceeds [from] the drug sales inside and outside the NBP,” the report claimed.
As for De Lima’s second theory, she said it was possible that a prison gang wanted to create trouble between two other rival gangs.
“There are [also] those who are sabotaging our ongoing operations,” De Lima told reporters, referring to a series of raids being conducted by authorities to rid the NBP of contraband, including firearms, drugs, cell phones and cash. Ironically, yesterday’s grenade attack happened just as De Lima and prison officials were about to present banned items seized from the compound, including guns and two grenades. With Nancy C. Carvajal