6 inmates charged for Bilibid blast

MANILA, Philippines - Six inmates tagged in the grenade explosion that rocked the New Bilibid Prison (NBP)’s maximum security compound in Muntinlupa last month were slapped with criminal charges yesterday.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) filed charges of murder and frustrated murder against the inmates before the Muntinlupa Hall of Justice.

Jojo Sampo, a member of the Commando Gang, died and 19 others were wounded in the blast.

NBI probers said convicted drug lord Jaybee Sebastian, leader of the gang, was the target of the grenade attack.

Sebastian, who was excluded from the series of raids conducted by authorities at the national penitentiary, was unharmed in the explosion.

“The explosion had something to do with Jaybee,” an official, who asked not to be named, said.

Prison authorities had just concluded a search inside the maximum security compound when an unidentified prisoner lobbed a fragmentation grenade at the dormitory of the Commando Gang on Jan. 8.

Sebastian is a said to be a rival of the 19 high-value inmates who were plucked out of the NBP last December for their involvement in the illegal drug trade.

According to Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, the inmates were reportedly operating 20 to 50 percent of the illegal drug trade in the country.