BUREAU of Corrections Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr. yesterday said around 100 BuCor personnel have been relieved from their posts pending an investigation over the presence of contrabands seized in the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City.
Catapang said the relieved personnel are required to stay in their barracks and make themselves available to investigators.
“They are just required to stay in their barracks para kung kailangan ipatawag sila, they are available for investigation (so they will be available for investigation in case the need arises,” Catapang said, adding that 20 of the relieved are BuCor officers.
Catapang said inmates are very resourceful when it comes to smuggling contrabands into the national penitentiary, adding they have even seized yeast that inmates allegedly used to make “lambanog,” a local type of liquor.
Over the weekend, the BuCor said a group of inmates surrendered a hand grenade, several improvised shotguns or “sumpak,” two grinders, two metal pipes, 12 improvised bladed weapons, 49 short-bladed weapons, and 18 ice picks.
In November last year, around 7,000 cans of beer were recovered by authorities inside the NBP’s maximum security compound, along with P55,000 in cash, 1,142 communication devices, 1,314 deadly weapons, 1,019 cigarettes or tobacco, and 104 gambling materials.
Last Friday, Catapang warned inmates that round-the-clock search operations will be held if they do not cooperate with the BuCor in eliminating contraband in the national penitentiary.
In a hearing at the House of Representatives last Thursday, lawmakers grilled BuCor officials led by Catapang over alleged illegal activities in the NBP, such as the entry of contrabands like a billiards table, karaoke machines, and a mahjong table.
Last April this year, Catapang sacked 700 jail guards assigned to secure the NBP’s maximum security compound after receiving information that some jail guards are collecting as much as P500 from visitors to expedite their entry into the national penitentiary to visit their loved ones and to bring in prohibited items such as liquor.
Catapang said some of the replaced jail guards do not go on duty but have someone signing their attendance.
