PNP Chief Ronald Dela Rosa. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / RICHARD A. REYES
It’s not the Special Action Force (SAF)’s fault.
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Dir. Gen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa defended SAF commandos manning the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) from critics blaming the elite cops for failing to prevent high-profile inmates from smuggling contraband inside the penitentiary.
Dela Rosa explained that the drugs and weapons the inmates used when the riot happened may have been kept and concealed beneath the concrete walls of Building 14, the most secured building inside the maximum security compound, in Muntinlupa.
A riot took place inside Bilibid 14 early Wednesday killing convicted drug lord Tony Co and injuring high-profile drug personalities Peter Co, Jaybee Sebastian and two others.
READ: De Lima Bilibid ‘asset’ hurt in riot; high-profile inmate killed
“Let’s put things into its proper perspective. Noong pumasok ang SAF nag-Oplan Galugad sila doon, marami silang nakuha. ‘Yung buong Building 14 na ‘yan, hindi mo talagang madi-dig inch-by-inch na kalkalkin mo talaga ang lupa, ang walls. Otherwise, babagsak ‘yung building na ‘yan,” Dela Rosa said.
(When the SAF came in and held their Oplan Galugad before, they were able to confiscate many things. That entire Building 14, you really can’t dig up the ground and walls inch by inch. Otherwise, the building will collapse.)
“Magaling magtago ‘yung mga tao dyan kaya nga nalulusutan pa rin,” he said.
(The people in there are very good, that’s why things can still go through unnoticed.)
“As far as the entry of contraband is concerned, alam ko na talagang hindi na iyon nakakapasok. Siguro dati na ’yun nakapasok sa loob na hindi nila nakalkal somewhere,” he said.
(I know that contraband can’t be brought into the cells now. Maybe those are the ones that got in in the past which weren’t dug up somewhere.)
The SAF troopers have been regularly conducting “Oplan Galugad” to search for contraband, including guns and illegal drugs, inside Bilibid.
The police chief described the SAF, the elite police unit which requires its men to undergo a rigid commando training, as still “the best” in the PNP.
“They are still the best sa mga tao ko, ‘yung SAF. I stand by them. Kung sila ay nagkakamali, I am willing to put my neck on the line kapag sinasabi niyo may ginagawa silang hindi nila ginagawa (If they are doing something wrong, I am willing to put my neck on the line if you say they’re doing something they’re not),” he said. JE/rga