BuCor OIC Catapang eyes body cameras for personnel

Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) officer-in-charge Gregorio Catapang on Friday said he will implement the wearing of body cameras for their personnel to prevent them from being accomplices of drug lords.

“Kasi meron akong i-implement ngayon na mass cam. Ang purpose is to guard the guardians. Sila may body cam hindi para bantayan ‘yung mga preso,” Catapang said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB.

(I will implement a mass cam. The purpose is to guard the guardians. They will have body cams and it will not be for the prisoners.)

“Binibigyan ko sila ng dahilan para hindi na mautusan ng mga drug lords, na maging accomplices (I will give them a reason not to be ordered around by drugs lords and be their accomplices)," he added.

Catapang issued the remark when asked if the employees he reinstated were involved in drugs. He was earlier asked for his comment on the statement of suspended BuCor chief Gerald Bantag that he removed the officials for involvement in drugs.

“Unang-una, ‘yung binalik ko sabi ko doon sa magi-issue ng order siguraduhin mo wala ‘yang pending case. Kapag malaman ko na may pending case ‘yan eh ako mismo ang mago-order sa'yo na mawawala tiwala ko sayo,” he said.

(First of all, I told the one who will issue the order to make sure that the reinstated employees have no pending cases. If I find out that they have pending cases, I will lose my trust in you.)

BuCor had previously presented assorted contraband, including knives, guns, cellphones, drugs, and around 7,500 cans of beer that were surrendered by inmates.

Catapang said that Bucor is probing personnel who allegedly allowed the entry of contrabands in the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).

Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said the BuCor is considering cutting all communication lines inside the NBP in the next 30 days.

Unclaimed cadavers

Meanwhile, Catapang confirmed that 10 unclaimed cadavers of NBP inmates at the Eastern Funeral Homes have been buried.

“Halo halo po yan, 176. Tapos naglibing po ako ng 10 so 166 na lang 'yung nandoon sa Eastern Funeral Parlor (There are 176 and we buried 10. So there are only 166 left at the Eastern Funeral Parlor),” he said.

The Department of Justice is seeking to transfer the remaining bodies to the University of the Philippines College of Medicine for a possible autopsy.

Remulla said they will publish the names and reach out to the families. He said they will give the bodies a burial or cremation if they receive no response.

According to Catapang, they may bury the bodies weekly after the autopsy.

“Eh, pag ano, makikita naman namin sino 'yung naka 90 days na. Siguro linggo-linggo maglilibing kami (Maybe there will be a burial every week),” he said.

NBP tunnel

Catapang said they are investigating  an alleged tunnel under the NBP which leads to a river. He said a tunnel was dug below a swimming pool.

He said he has asked the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for help.

“Nakaswimming ka na ba diyan, general? Sabi ko sir hindi na, lumubog ‘yung swimming pool kasi ‘yung naghukay sa ilalim ng swimming pool ‘yung tunnel eh,” Catapang said.

(Have you swum there, general? I said not yet sir the swimming pool caved in after a tunnel was dug under there.)

“Hindi kami expert diyan kaya pinapatawag namin ‘yung DENR kasi sabi nung DENR nung dumating dito mga 300 by 300 meters ang lapad ng hukay. Sabi niya illegal excavation o illegal quarrying, wala kayong permit diyan,” he added.

(We are not experts on this so we called for DENR. The DENR official said that the tunnel was 300 by 300 meters. He said this was an illegal excavation or illegal quarrying since we had no permit.)—AOL, GMA Integrated News