Jaybee Sebastian died of COVID-19, not murdered – NBI

MANILA, Philippines — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has maintained that New Bilibid Prison (NBP) inmate Jaybee Niño Sebastian died of COVID-19 and was not murdered.

The NBI confirmed its findings following an order from the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate the deaths of Sebastian and eight other NBP inmates and find out whether they died of COVID-19 or other causes.

Witnesses claimed they were “well, normal or lively before their deaths.”

The NBI insisted that Sebastian was a COVID-19 patient when he was admitted to Site Harry, an area designated by the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) as a quarantine facility.

From his admission to the area on July 2 until his death on July 18, 2020, Sebastian – convicted in 2009 for kidnap-for-ransom and carjacking – suffered “diarrhea, cough, muscle pain, fatigue and headache.”

Sebastian was notorious for his ostentatious lifestyle inside the NBP and for accusing former senator Leila de Lima of benefiting from illegal drug transactions in the national penitentiary, where he himself was involved.

He died of acute myocardial infarction or heart attack due to COVID-19 on July 18, 2020, according to his death certificate.

Eight other prisoners – Francis Go, Shuli Lim Zhang, Jimmy Ang, Eugene Chua, Benjamin Marcelo, Sherwin Sanchez, Amin Boratong and Willy Yang – “exhibited neither chronic symptom of COVID-19, including difficulty in breathing nor shortness of breath, nor were they observed to be weak or particularly ill,” the NBI said.

They were also brought to Site Harry after allegedly manifesting COVID-19 symptoms, and were “segregated” according to the nature of crime conviction, it added.

Sanchez was imprisoned for murder while the rest were drug trafficking convicts.

Panel formed

Meanwhile, a panel of prosecutors was created by the DOJ-National Prosecution Service (NPS) to handle the preliminary investigation on the murder complaint filed against 22 National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) personnel in connection with the suspicious death of eight prisoners of the NBP.

DOJ-NPS Prosecutor General Benedicto Malcontento yesterday signed the order to create the panel, but he refused to identify its members.

With the creation of the team, the DOJ-NPS would soon conduct a preliminary investigation to determine if there is probable cause against the respondents.

The NBI-Death Investigation Division (NBI-DID) filed eight counts of murder, as penalized under Article 248 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC), against Police Maj. Lymel John Pasquin, Staff Sergeants Rannel Gadiano and Christian Mercarsos, Corporals Laurence Antiporta, Jhunben Alegado, Jayson Añonuevo, Rosanie Bernales, Michael Boco, Rolex Borgonia, Jophy Buot, Gilwen Garcia, Edmar Gerra, Archie Grapa, Vernardo Into, Ener Restauro, Banedy Solante, Jernie Mata Tiongzon and Jan Anthon Uy, Patrolmen Roland Butch Duran, James Aninapon and Rey Fernandez and Dr. Beverly de Guzman.

According to the witnesses interviewed by the NBI, they did not observe any unusual situation of the convicts while inside the isolation area.

“The only irregular observation they made was their co-prisoners gradually disappeared from Building 4 after they had revealed that they were to be transferred to the ‘comfortable’ isolation room,” the NBI said in an earlier statement. – Evelyn Macairan, Ralph Edwin Villanueva