DOJ orders probe on Bilibid inmate shooting

MANILA, Philippines – Justice Secretary Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa on Tuesday ordered the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) to conduct full and thorough investigation on the shooting of an inmate at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP), Muntinlupa last Thursday.

In the statement posted by the Department of Justice on its Twitter account, Caguioa also ordered Director Rainier Cruz III to hold an independent probe to identify if there are possible administrative and criminal liabilities of NBP personnel and inmates involved in the shooting and death of inmate Charlie Quidato, a former Masbate city jail warden serving his sentence for the murder of Masbate Mayor Moises Esponosa Jr. on Aug. 9, 2001.

The NBP’s Security Response Unit reported that inmate Ronald Catapang admitted to shooting fellow inmate Quidato in his room.

The suspect also divulged that he has a gun and hand grenade in his room.

The investigation will also look into the subsequent confiscation of firearms, communication devices and other prohibited items discovered in the rooms of the involved inmates as directed by Caguioa.

Last Thursday, Quidato was gunned down by assailant Catapang using a Magnum 357 revolver inside dormitory 9 at the maximum security compound of NBP around 5:20 p.m. 

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