JUSTICE Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla yesterday ordered Bureau of Corrections Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr. to speed up the transfer of high-profile drug personalities to regional prisons.
Remulla’s directive came after his brother, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, revealed that the supply of illegal drugs still comes on orders of inmates detained at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City.
The DILG chief said authorities have identified at least 200 high-profile detainees, who will be transferred to another facility. He did not disclose the location of the facility.
“Speed up the planned transfer of illegal drug convicts to our regional prisons. You have our full support,” Remulla told Catapang.
Remulla said the DOJ will step up its fight against illegal drugs by intensifying its collaborative efforts with other government and law enforcement bodies.
President Marcos Jr. met with officials from the DOJ, DILG, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the PNP last Monday to strengthen the country’s fight against illegal drugs.
He said the intensified drive will be done without compromising basic human rights and respect for the dignity of every individual.
Catapang admitted that despite stringent measures in place, the BuCor continues to encounter the entry of contraband such as dangerous drugs and drug paraphernalia in its prison facilities, including the NBP.
He said the collaboration with other government agencies is a vital approach in resolving the complex issues of drug use and trafficking in BuCor facilities.
Early this year, the agency signed a memorandum of agreement with the PDEA, PNP, the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency and the National Bureau of Investigation to combat the illegal drug trade in BuCor-operated prison facilities.
“Today we will conduct an inter-agency meeting to implement a more effective, hardened approach to eliminate the use of communication equipment inside the prison facilities,” Catapang added.
He said the agency supports Remulla’s vow that the anti-drug campaign will focus on the supply side.
BuCor data showed that 70 to 80 percent of the more than 52,000 inmates nationwide are in prison due to drug-related cases.
Catapang also disclosed that from July 21, 2023 to October 12, 2024, a total of 1,806 inmates were transferred from the NBP to the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Mindoro, including 170 Chinese linked to drug-related cases.
During the Duterte administration, authorities deployed the elite PNP Special Action to augment BuCor personnel in guarding the national penitentiary and ensure that contraband items are kept out of the facility.
Additional closed-circuit television cameras and K9 dogs were also deployed while high-profile detainees were moved to a secure facility in Building 14 of the NBP’s maximum security compound to isolate them from other inmates.
As part of the heightened security measures at the NBP, Catapang said two new Soter RS full-body scanners that can detect unauthorized items hidden within the human body have been deployed at the national penitentiary.
“We have decided to deploy these body scanners, the first in the Philippines, initially at the entrance of the National Headquarters’ Administrative Building and the Inmate Visiting Services Unit of the Maximum Security Camp in New Bilibid Prison. This will eliminate the need for strip searches and manual cavity checks on visitors of persons deprived of liberty,” Catapang said.
He said the advanced scanners can identify items ingested, hidden under clothing, or concealed inside their private parts.
“We plan to procure additional scanners for deployment across our prisons and penal farms nationwide,” Catapang added.
The agency sometime in May this year discontinued strip and cavity searches on visitors of inmates after receiving complaints from two wives of prisoners, leading to a review of procedures in cooperation with the Commission on Human Rights.
Catapang clarified that the agency had implemented strip and cavity searches due to an uptick in visitors attempting to smuggle contraband into correctional facilities, such as cellphones, chargers, tobacco, and illicit drugs hidden in various body parts.
