BuCor guards tipped off drug lords – NBI

MANILA, Philippines - Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) security personnel reportedly “prepared” the drug lords for last Monday’s raid in the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) by helping them reconstruct their vast kubols to conceal the luxurious contrabands inside them, a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) official said yesterday.

BuCor guards also “deceived” NBI agents by directing some of them to a different kubol than the one really targeted by the raid.

These were the observations of lawyer Eric Isidoro, who led a team of NBI agents in raiding the house of the biggest fish among the drug lords, Peter Co, and his men Tony Co and Hans Chua.

“As insiders of NBP, they were appointed as point men by the raiding team. But instead of bringing us to Hans Chua’s kubol, they brought us to a smaller one,” Isidoro said.

“When we got inside, even Hans Chua couldn’t breathe. He said he has asthma and couldn’t breathe inside. So logic tells you, the kubol is not his. Then, we checked the clothes and the shoes inside the kubol, they didn’t fit him. We asked him to open his drawer, he didn’t have the key and even asked the BuCor guard for help,” Isidoro added.

After the incident, Isidoro said his team “started doubting” the BuCor guards, as these were the same people who would take them to Peter and Tony Co’s detention houses.

Walled in

They first arrived at Tony Co’s, and like in Chua’s incident, it was smaller than what they expected and contained less contraband than what was relayed to them by their informant.

“The BuCor guards already looked happy that there were no contraband so we started kicking and knocking down the walls,” Isidoro said.

“Then, we saw a very small hole in the wall. When we checked it, we saw an exercise machine inside it. We were surprised because there were no doors. So, how did that get in?” he added.

Agents rechecked the walls and saw three hinges on the side, meaning they could push the wall open. They also noticed that these walls were either freshly painted or freshly covered with wallpaper.

There were also sawdust and cans of odorless paint on the floor.

Isidoro said he believes the walls were installed about two to three days before the raid.

In that hidden room, they saw a split-type aircon and another newly-constructed wooden wall. Like the first wall, the agents tore it down and discovered the jacuzzi.

The wall also led them to a mezzanine that is connected to another kubol.

The same happened in Peter Co’s kubol, said Isidoro. His kubol, which could span about 200 square meters, was reconstructed in such a way that the contraband would escape the raiders’ eye.

According to Isidoro, the BuCor guards were even insisting that the NBI sign an inventory that agents found nothing inside the kubol.

“They were surprised when we kicked down the walls. If we did not do that, we would not have discovered the guns and Jacuzzi. They deceived us,” Isidoro said.

Miriam slams DOJ

Meanwhile,  Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago expressed suspicion yesterday that top members of justice department could be protecting influential and high-profile inmates at the NBP.

“There is a cabal in the Department of Justice whose members make sure that people understand that they extend their full protection to the men who conduct their business in the New Bilibid Prison,” she said.

Santiago repeated her call for the need to reform the prisons facilities in the country by having it patterned after the United States’ penal system, which has inmates pay for better facilities. – With Christina Mendez