NBP sets up drop boxes for guns, drugs

MANILA, Philippines - Drop boxes have been placed in the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) to allow inmates to discreetly surrender any contraband in their possession, an official said yesterday.

NBP Superintendent Richard Schwarzkopf Jr. said they have installed at least eight sealed drop boxes near the dormitories in the nine-hectare penal facility.

He said the drop boxes would allow the inmates to surrender any drugs or weapons in their possession in connection with the deadline set by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima for the inmates to give up contraband still in their possession.

“The identities of inmates who will turn over contraband will not be known,” Schwarzkopf said.

He said De Lima is expected to open the boxes anytime.

Schwarzkopf added that at least 30 guards were deployed to the NBP extension facility inside the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Manila where the convicted drug lords were transferred following the raid on their “kubols” (prison huts).

Raids to continue

Schwarzkopf said the crackdown against contraband in the NBP would continue in the next months.

De Lima earlier warned inmates the Department of Justice and other law enforcement agencies would conduct more raids in the NBP, depending on the extent of cooperation of the inmates.

At least 19 convicted drug lords were pulled out from their luxury kubols in the NBP after authorities seized guns and illegal drugs during a recent raid.

Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) director Franklin Bucayu said the luxury kubols of the 19 inmates were converted into a common area in the maximum security compound.

Lawmakers expressed alarm over the laxity of jail officials in giving privilege to rich and influential inmates.

They also cited the case of convicted robber Herbert Colangco, who became famous for his musical gigs in the NBP.

“The music video and album, concerts inside NBP are just tips of the iceberg,” an official said.

Special ops?

Lawmakers are urged to look into reports that Colangco had supervised special operations ranging from high-profile robbery, the rescue of an alleged drug lord in Pangasinan, kidnapping to contract killing though he is supposedly locked up at the NBP’s maximum security compound.

Senators Francis Escudero and Joseph Victor Ejercito separately vowed to file resolutions seeking a deeper probe on the anomalies at the NBP.

From robbery gang leader, Colangco has grown to be very influential as his wide connections in the NBP and some politicians provide him protection for his alleged nefarious activities, sources revealed.

“The kubols were improved during a time when an NBI director acted as officer-in-charge. The high-profile detainees, especially those involved with illegal drugs and those beholden to Colangco were authorized to live in these cozy houses for a fee,” the source said.

The public caught a glimpse of Colangco’s high-profile lifestyle at the NBP compound when he was allowed confinement at a posh hospital in Alabang early this year. Controversy surrounded the confinement, which was facilitated by NBP personnel without clearance from the justice department.

In a report submitted to Malacañang, another official revealed Colangco continued with his high-profile robberies, making it appear that the dreaded Ozamiz group was behind these activities in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

A bank robbery in Pangasinan was said to be the handiwork of Colangco’s gang but was attributed to a rival gang. 

A recent kidnapping in broad daylight in Sta. Mesa, Manila was also said to be orchestrated by Colangco’s men, sources said.

Colangco is also being tagged as the mastermind of the killing of former NBI agent John Herra, who was shot dead in Makati City in April 2013.

Herra was working out at the Republic of Fitness Gym along Malvar street in Barangay Bangkal when he was shot at close range by an unidentified assailant who posed as a client of the gym.