5 more convicts transferred to NBI

MANILA, Philippines - Five more convicted drug lords were sent to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) following another raid on the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City Saturday, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said yesterday.

Sachets of illegal drugs, bladed weapons, mobile phones, sex toys, and P700,000 were seized in the latest raid conducted by NBI and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) agents and the local police.

De Lima identified the drug convicts as Joselito Valiente, Brando Ramirez, Gianfranco Pasco, Engelbert Durano and Noel Arnejo.

She said the raid had initially targeted Pasco, Durano and Arnejo.

“But in the course of the operations, Valiente and Ramirez were also found in the two other raided kubols supposedly belonging to Pasco and Durano. There were very incriminating (pieces of) evidence (notebooks and pieces of paper containing data like amounts and grams) of what are obviously drug transactions,” she told reporters.

Valiente is reportedly a big-time drug lord connected with the Batang Cebu gang.

The raid spearheaded by Bureau of Corrections Director Franklin Jesus Bucayu was conducted at Buildings 4, 5 and 8 of the NBP compound at around 6:30 a.m.

De Lima inspected the seized items in the afternoon.

She said that like the 19 inmates earlier transferred to the NBI, the five inmates would also be barred from seeing their relatives and lawyers.

Those transferred to the NBI following the first raid at NBP last Dec. 15 were Noel Martinez, Michael Ong, Willy Sy, Peter Co, Eugene Chua, Chua Sam Li, Vincent Sy, George Sy, Joel Capones, Herbert Colangco, Amin Imam Boratong, Clarence Dongail, Tom Chua, Rommel Capoines, Jojo Baligad, Jacky King Sy, Willy Chua, Jacky King Sy and Herman Agojo.  

Seized from them were illegal drugs, cash, firearms and other contraband.

Boratong, Ong, Willy Sy, Martinez and Co have all questioned their transfer in separate writ of habeas corpus petitions before the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and Manila regional trial court. None of them was able to secure relief so far.

De Lima reiterated that there was nothing illegal with the transfer of the inmates, explaining that their detention center is an extension facility of the BuCor.

“Their temporary transfer to NBI for safekeeping is in line with plenary safekeeping mandate of BuCor subject only to their right to humane treatment or constitutional right of prisoners against cruel and degrading punishment,” she stressed.

The Commission on Human Rights has expressed support for this move of the Department of Justice.

2 witnesses

Meanwhile, Bucayu bared a significant development in their investigation on the grenade explosion in the NBP last Thursday that killed an inmate and injured 19 others. 

In an interview by phone, the BuCor chief said two witnesses have surfaced to give information about the alleged perpetrators of the attack and their account appeared to be “credible.”

Bucayu, however, did not identify the two witnesses pending further investigation and follow up operations aimed at identifying the culprits. He also cited security reasons.

But he hinted: “We are looking at several groups affected by our ongoing crackdown to be possibly behind the incident. It could be meant to disrupt our efforts but we remain unfazed as proven by this latest operation.”

The explosion took place at around 9:55 a.m. as he was about to conduct a command conference and present to the media more items seized from inmates in three recent raids.

The grenade exploded in the vicinity of Building 5 at the area of Barangay Commando inside the maximum compound near the kubol of high-profile inmate Jaybee Sebastian.

Bucayu, who initiated the NBP raids last month, is planning to build a segregation facility at the NBP as immediate solution to perennial problems in the penitentiary, citing the need to divide inmates according to their classifications as high-risk, highly violent, suicidal and others.

The BuCor also plans to move the NBP to Laur, Nueva Ecija this year as part of its modernization program. – With Perseus Echeminada