Guarding Bilibid VIPs taking toll on NBI

MANILA, Philippines–The transfer of the 19 high-profile inmates from the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) is taking its toll on their new custodian—the National Bureau of Investigation.

According to a senior NBI agent, guarding the inmates has not only depleted the bureau’s resources and manpower, it has also slowed down their work on other important pending cases.

“The agents are required to render security duty for the high-profile inmates to the detriment of other cases because guarding the inmates has become a priority,” said the agent who asked for anonymity as he was not authorized to speak on the matter.

The 19 inmates were moved from the national penitentiary to the NBI’s custody after a raid conducted by the Department of Justice on their “kubol” or private quarters in the maximum security compound on Dec. 15 yielded huge amounts of cash, drugs, weapons and luxury items such as air-conditioning units, a Jacuzzi and jewelry.

The source said that providing security to the VIP inmates in shifts was not only tiring but also reducing the time NBI agents would spend looking into other cases.

“This is not a statement of complaint but a plea for support from higher authorities [and for them to] look into the resources, both financial and manpower, of the NBI,” he said.