MANILA, Philippines — Ten inmates who testified against former senator Leila de Lima in one her drug cases have been transferred from the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa to the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Occidental Mindoro.
This was confirmed yesterday by Mico Clavano, spokesman for the Department of Justice (DOJ), who addressed the concerns of the families of inmates Noel Martinez and Jerry Pepino.
The families feared that Martinez and Pepino could have been in danger following their transfer over the weekend.
“The spouses of the inmates who were brought to Sablayan went here because they had no contact with them. They were probably worried. So I assured them that the DOJ and Bureau of Corrections are not in the business of hurting inmates,” Clavano told reporters.
Martinez and Pepino’s wives went to the DOJ yesterday to seek answers as to why the inmates were “unceremoniously” moved out of the NBP.
“We have no idea whether they are dead or alive. They kept telling us the reason for their transfer was confidential,” they said.
Clavano confirmed that the inmates had been moved to Occidental Mindoro. But he could not say why they were transferred.