CHANGE OF GUARDS FINALLY,
AT THE
NEW BILIBID PRISON
By Apolinario Villalobos
The incoming Secretary of the Department of
Justice, in one interview, revealed that one important plan that he shall
implement immediately is the total, complete, sweeping change of NBP guards
with the Special Action Force to take their place. The military shall also be
tapped to enforce a new system in the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).
In my past blogs about NBP, I have been
mentioning such necessity of changing ALL the prison guards, literally, the NBP
personnel who directly guard the prisoners, if the DOJ wants to cleanse the
facility’s system to enforce the prevention of bribery. I mentioned that if
possible, military personnel should be assigned on the basis of rotating Task Force
Duty or TDY. Unfortunately, ever since the explosion of scandals, only the top
officials, especially, the Directors were relieved. As expected, no change has
been evident, despite the effort of the Acting DOJ Secretary who took the place
of de Lima who ran for senator. Latest raids as usual yielded bladed weapons
and a few sachets of suspected drug, nothing else.
Common sense would suggest that the lowest
level prison guards who are the ones directly and closely in touch with the
detainees are prone to the tempting thousands of pesos bribe in exchange for
just safekeeping their (detainees’) cellphones. A story was even circulated
that an outdated model of a cellphone is worth thousands of pesos when sold to
a detainee…and who could do it, the NBP Director?...or any of the lesser
officials? Are these NBP officials
willing to be ordered around by high-end detainees as if they are servants?
One big question that had been bugging the
authority is HOW IN THE WORLD CAN BIG TIME DRUG LORDS TRANSACT THEIR BUSINESS
FROM THE SUPPOSEDLY STRICTLY-GUARDED NBP FACILITIES? The problem with most of
our “authorities” is that they concentrate on the “resulting effects of the
problems” and not on the “possible causes”…as they are in a hurry to earn
medals or commendations for solving a case. What happens is they “trim the
twigs and leaves but leave the roots that continually get fertilized and
further boost the growth of the tree”. It has never occurred in the mind of
bright investigators, the possibility that the lowly and seemingly innocent
guards might be involved.
Filipinos thought that de Lima was sincere
in her effort in spearheading the raids after a series of scandals rocked the
NBP. Raids were conducted with a good number of reporters and crew from TV
stations in tow…. fully- covered efforts, in other words, that she fairly
deserved. In one interview, she expressed the difficulty of inspections on
account of the vastness of the facility, when she became exasperated with
persistent questions on the results of raids. But, anyway, there were good
coverage resulting to miles of media exposure. It made her heroine for such a
monumental job.
The raids were conducted months before de
Lima declared her plan to run for senator, hence, Filipinos thought, they were
done as just part of her job as DOJ Secretary, period. She even promised to do
something about the third batch of lawmakers and government officials involved
in the pork barrel scandal, plus an encouraging result on the the Maguindanao
massacre.
Then, the NBP raids suddenly stopped. The
promised case on the third batch of the pork barrel scandal and the Maguindanao
massacre were never again mentioned. De Lima, with all resolve declared her
plan to run for senator, and she indeed, made it, albeit at the tail end of the
list. Now, as senator, together with two other senators, she vows to give
Duterte a hard time in all his effort to give justice to the victims of the
drug lords!
