MANILA — Four New Bilibid Prison personnel who came under fire in December 2015 for their alleged collusion with some inmates have been charged administratively.
This was revealed by New Bilibid Prison head, Supt. Richard Schwarzkopf, after around 120 Bureau of Corrections personnel held a surprise inspection at the maximum security compound on Wednesday.
“I was informed by the (Bureau of Corrections’ Internal Affairs Service) today (Wednesday), that the four have been charged,” Schwarzkopf said, without revealing their identities.
Schwarzkopf said this meant that administrative proceedings would soon start against the “dormitory keepers.” Cellular phones of several inmates were found in the drawers of the “dormitory keepers” during a surprise inspection on Dec. 9, 2015.
The four were at that time assigned at the Security Response Unit, Reception Diagnostics Unit, and Buildings 1 and 2 of the Medium Security Compound.
“We don’t know how long the proceedings will be, but this is the time they can get a lawyer to defend themselves. There is due process,” Schwarzkopf said.
He said if found guilty, the four could be fined or suspended.
Meanwhile, Wednesday’s surprise inspection at Building 1 of Quadrant 1 in the maximum security compound around 5 a.m.yielded a sachet of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu), DVDs, CDs and appliances.
“But unlike in previous inspections, I did not see any television set confiscated,” Schwarzkopf said.
He said no weapons were also confiscated during the raid that ended around 9 a.m.
In Quadrant 3, the team also demolished a “kubol” (hut) being used by inmate Alvin Cheng with jackhammers and axes.
Schwarzkopf said the demolition of the structure was in line with BuCor Director General Ricardo Rainier Cruz III’s directive that all inmates be treated equally.
“The inmate using that structure will be placed in a dormitory like the rest,” he said. SFM
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