DOJ chief to new BuCor chief: `Destroy the drug machinery’ inside national penitentiary
The primary mission of newly appointed Bureau of Corrections Chief Ronald dela Rosa is to destroy the “drug machinery” inside the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City and other penal colonies nationwide.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said on Tuesday that he gave Dela Rosa a marching order to weed out illegal activities, particularly illegal drugs trade, inside the NBP.
“There will be only one marching order for Chief Dela Rosa: Destroy the drug machinery inside the penitentiary,” Guevarra said in a text message.
Guevarra’s order came following reports that illegal drugs continue to proliferate inside the country’s national top penitentiary.
The Justice secretary said he will meet with Dela Rosa on Friday to discuss plans to address the worsening drug problem correctional institutions.
Guevarra exercises administrative supervision over the BuCor, along with other attached agencies of the Department of Justice, such as the National Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Immigration, and the Land Registration Authority, Office of the Solicitor General, Office of the Government Corporate Counsel and Public Attorneys Office.
On Monday, Dela Rosa, who recently retired as director general of the Philippine National Police, asked for the cooperation of BuCor’s officials and employees to accomplish this task.
He also called on BuCor officials and employees to do what is right as he plans to institute the necessary reforms in the agency and also not to be afraid of inmates, especially the high-profile inmates who wield influence inside the NBP.
Dela Rosa warned high-profile inmates in the NBP that he will be relentless in going after those who continue their illegal activities inside the national penitentiary.
He made the remarks during his visit to the high-profile inmates in Building 14 of the NBP’s maximum-security compound.
Among the high-profile inmates currently detained in Building 14 are convicted drug lord Peter Co and kidnapper Jaybee Sebastian.
During the watch of then Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, he assigned Special Action Force (SAF) Members inside the NBP to stop the proliferation of illegal drugs.
Still, it was reported that illegal drugs continue to proliferate despite the designation of 400 SAF troopers in July 2016, after receiving intelligence reports that high-profile inmates continue to run illegal drug operations there using cellphones.
Meanwhile, Carlos Conde, a researcher for Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused the PNP of “manipulating” reports on the number of deaths linked with the administration’s war on drugs.
“Minamanipula nila ang statistics,” Carlos Conde said in a television interview.
He said that the PNP wants to present “low as possible” numbers to avoid scrutiny from the international community, including the International Criminal Court.
Conde made the statement following a police report that a total of 4,521 drug personalities were killed under the government’s campaign against illegal drugs, which was way lower than the 12,000 estimated by the HRW.
But Conde argued that 4,000 is still a big number. He also pushes for an independent probe to shed light on drug-related killings.
“Even if we set aside the death under investigation [or] homicides and just focus on the 4,000 that the Philippine National Police claimed, that they’re admitting na napatay nila because nanlaban, would you honestly believe na all of those 4,000 nanlaban ‘yang mga ‘yan?” he said.
“Kahit ‘yung statistics nila, it screams for an investigation, it screams for an impartial investigation of some independent body para tingnan ano nangyari sa 4,000 na ‘yan,” Conde added.
Conde said it has been the PNP’s tactic to “frustrate accountability.”
“’Yan ang issue namin sa PNP, they have institutional resistance na maging accountable sila,” he said. “Lagi silang may mga delaying tactics, but they have the duty and responsibility to release these documents dahil public records ‘yan.”
“Sa totoo lang di kailangan ng Supreme Court order para gawin nila ‘yan,” he added.
The SC recently ordered the government, including the police, to submit necessary documents with regards the administration’s anti-illegal drug campaign.
