Senate’s New Bilibid Prison probe to have inmates as resource persons

MANILA, Philippines — Inmates involved in the recently discovered “mass grave” in the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) compound in Muntinlupa will be among the resource persons in a Senate inquiry tomorrow, Sen. Francis Tolentino said yesterday.

Tolentino, who chairs the Senate committee on justice and human rights, said the committee’s investigation will be done in the national penitentiary so the inmates involved could shed light on the incident.

The senator filed last week Senate Resolution No. 709 and sought a thorough probe after chopped-up body parts were found in the septic tank of the NBP’s maximum security compound while prison officials were searching for inmate Michael Angelo Cataroja, who went missing on July 15.

The committee will also look into recent incidents at the Bureau of Corrections that compromise the safety and security of the inmates and BuCor personnel in the NBP.

BuCor records show that as of December 2022, out of 673 deaths in the NBP, eight were caused by asphyxia, one by gunshot, six by stabbing and three by traumatic head injuries.

Last July 26, another casualty was recorded after a gang war broke out in the maximum security compound. Alvin Barba died after he was stabbed with an ice pick.

During the same incident, BuCor’s Special Weapons and Tactics team recovered a .45-caliber pistol and 12 bullets at the scene.

Meanwhile, Sen. Ronald dela Rosa said he would join Tolentino during the hearing tomorrow to find out why inmates were allowed food delivery when the BuCor was supposed to be providing their food.

“It defeats the purpose of having been confined and undergoing rehabilitation… If there are many people who can enter, it’s just like a school dormitory inside. That should stop,” Dela Rosa said, noting that the food allowance of P70 per day during his time has not changed.

Dela Rosa said during his term as BuCor director, he never allowed any form of communication from outside and never interfered in the food requirements for the inmates.

Shortly after he retired as chief of the Philippine National Police, Dela Rosa was appointed by then president Rodrigo Duterte to head the BuCor.