BuCor probing personnel for entry of contraband in Bilibid

The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) is looking into personnel who allegedly allowed the entry of contraband into New Bilibid Prison, BuCor officer-in-charge Gregorio Catapang Jr. said Wednesday.

BuCor earlier presented assorted contraband, including knives, guns, cellphones, drugs, and around 7,500 cans of beer.

Catapang said one can of beer would go for P1,000 inside the prison.

He added that some inmates have provided names of personnel supposedly involved in bringing these items inside.

“May mga kumanta na kung sino yung nagpapasok but we cannot divulge to you the names because under investigation pa,” Catapang said in a press briefing.

(Some have revealed who was letting these things inside but we cannot divulge to you the names yet because this is still under investigation.)

“We have to inform our Secretary first bago naman namin i-announce kung sino ang mga ito [before we can announce who these people are],” he added.

Catapang said the inmates have also given their sworn statements.

“Iniimbestigahan na namin no. We don’t want to point fingers yet. But may kumanta na. May mga sworn statement na but we cannot announce it kasi kailangan malaman muna sa taas. And then we finalize it,” he said.

(We are investigating it. We don't want to point fingers yet. But someone has already talked. We have sworn statements but we cannot announce it yet because our superiors have to be notified first. And then we finalize it.)

“Kami dito taong bayan kami. [We are a community.] We don’t, we will not allow these things to happen. But if it [did] indeed happen, it was not during our time. But ngayon lang nakita ‘yan so imbestigahan namin para hindi na maulit [But this has only been discovered now so we are investigating it so it won't be repeated],” he added.

The BuCor OIC earlier said that he ordered his personnel to ask inmates to voluntarily surrender their items after an autopsy showed that shabu was present in the body of Jun Villamor, the alleged middleman in the killing of broadcaster Percy Lapid. — BM, GMA News