Members of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) destroy P9.23-million worth of seized chemicals and laboratory equipment used for manufacturing methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) in Valenzuela City, Tuesday.(MNS photo)
MANILA (Mabuhay) — The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) welcomed Wednesday the plan of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte’s administration to deploy elite policemen of the Special Action Forces (SAF) to the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP).
BuCor Director General Ricardo Rainier Cruz III admitted that after 35 raids since Oplan Galugad was launched in 2015, authorities still confiscate various contraband items from NBP inmates.
He said additional manpower is needed to stamp out the continuing gun running and illegal drug trade inside the country’s largest prison facility.
“Maganda po iyun. Kailangan po talaga natin ng karagdagang manpower para maparami po talaga iyung guwardya, para mabantayan po talaga ng maayos ang Bilibid,” Cruz said.
At the same time, Cruz claimed that despite the persistent illegal activities at the NBP, authorities were able to cut down the influence of detained drug lords who had overseen the reported manufacture of drugs inside Bilibid.
“Iyung dating powers nila na makapagbenta ng marami, hindi na ganoon. Namo-monitor na rin kasi ng ibang agencies iyung galaw ng drugs ngayon,” he said.
Incoming Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said that he has secured the help of incoming Philippine National Police chief Ronald dela Rosa who promised to detail 1,000 SAF troopers at the NBP.
SAF commandos will man security at the NBP while jail guards undergo months of re-training and re-education, Aguirre said.
But apart from detailing SAF members at the NBP, Cruz said government should also adress overcrowding at the Bilibid to completely suppress the reported irregularities there.
The maximum security compound alone, which is meant to house only 6, 000 inmate, now houses more than double that number.
Government earlier proposed the construction of a P50.2-billion regional prisons facility in Nueva Ecija, where Bilibid detainees may be transferred.
The BuCor, meanwhile, is polishing designs for converting container vans into prison dormitories.(MNS)