New Bilibid Prison. INQUIRER.net file photo
The Special Action Force (SAF) manning the National Bilibid Prison (NBP) won’t be bribed, its public information officer said.
“Mag-stick po kami sa trabaho namin kung ano ang mandato namin. May confidence kami sa mga tao namin na dineploy doon na magagampanan nila ang kanilang mga tungkulin (We will stick to our job and our mandate. We are confident in our people who will be deployed there that they will perform their duties),” SAF spokesperson Senior Inspector Jonalyn Malnat said in a press briefing at Camp Crame on Thursday.
A total of 320 SAF troopers were deployed at the NBP on Wednesday to replace 220 jail guards who will undergo training.
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The SAF troopers’ duty will be done in rotation with the Philippine Marines every two months.
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The NBP, which has high-profile inmates, is believed to be plagued with corruption.
Malnat said they are still under the supervision of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) and they are only playing a supporting role.
“The deployment of SAF in NBP is basically to support the BuCor in terms of security aspect and to stop illegal activities within the NBP. Sa lahat ng galaw namin doon naka-rely kami sa aming director (We rely on our director for our every move there),” she said.
“Sa role ng SAF naka-focus kami sa (SAF’s duty is focused on) security and to help BuCor stop the illegal activities within the NBP,” she said. IDL/rga