A RESOLUTION has been filed at the Senate seeking an investigation into the recent riot at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) as well as earlier allegations of “isolation, intimidation, maltreatment, torture and human rights violations” against other inmates.
Senate Resolution 174 was filed on Wednesday by Senators Leila de Lima and Antonio Trillanes IV.
The senators noted in the resolution that the so-called riot at the NBP early Wednesday morning happened just days after convicted criminal Jaybee Sebastian reportedly said that he would not testify in the ongoing House of Representatives’ probe into the alleged proliferation of illegal drugs in the national penitentiary.
Sebastian was among the three inmates injured during the NBP incident. The two others were Peter Co and Vicente Sy. Convicted crime lord Tony Co was the only fatality in the riot.
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“The same alleged prison riot revealed that despite the entry of PNP SAF (Philippine National Police Special Action Force) and the overhaul of the NBP management, the inmates still manage to smuggle drugs and weapons into the facility,” the resolution said.
“The same alleged prison riot that caused the death of a high profile inmate and serious injuries to others can only be the result of serious, if not criminal negligence on the part of Bucor (Bureau of Corrections) and PNP,” it said.
The resolution also pointed out that even with the use of “unnecessary” violence, the PNP SAF has failed to prevent “this fatal brawl among high profile inmates.”
Regarding other alleged human rights violations at the NBP, the resolution cited a report of the Philippine Daily Inquirer that many inmates were complaining that officers from the police Special Action Force guarding the NBP were allegedly using violence to enforce prison rules.
“There are also credible reports that inmates and gang members are being taken by SAF personnel for ‘overnight interrogation sessions.” Prisoners are being selected and isolated just to be intimidated into fabricating testimonies to support any case that the Department of Justice wants to file,” it said.
The alleged “maltreatment” of NBP inmates, the resolution said, constitutes breaches of human rights of prisoners under domestic laws as well as under the Philippines’ “legally binding obligations in international treaties, for which the Bucor and PNP can be held accountable as state actors.”
“As provided by the Constitution, under our laws, and human rights treaties, it is imperative to properly address these issues and prevent recurrence through relevant legislation,” it further said.