‘How do you arrest someone who’s already in jail?

MANILA, Philippines – Stopping convicted felons from doing business inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) is a big challenge in the government’s war against illegal drugs, Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa admitted yesterday.

“All roads point to the Bilibid… How do you arrest one who is already in jail? How do you convict one who is already convicted?” Dela Rosa said when asked about the center of illegal drugs in the country.

The question came from Sen. Richard Gordon during the second day of hearings on extrajudicial killings amid President Duterte’s war on drugs, presided over by Sen. Leila de Lima as chair of the committee on justice and human rights.

De Lima was accused by Duterte of benefiting from protection money allegedly collected by her former driver-bodyguard and supposed lover, Ronnie Palisoc Dayan, from drug lords at the NBP.

De Lima, who had supervision over the NBP when she was justice secretary, denied the allegations. But she was also put on the spot during the hearing when her track record in fighting illegal drugs as justice secretary of the Aquino administration was tackled.

Dela Rosa said while stringent measures had been put in place at the NBP to suppress drug convicts, the PNP was not letting its guard down.

Gordon asked Dela Rosa whether he believed the drug problem in the country worsened because of inaction or failure of various government agencies in the last 10 years.

The senator cited several cases as well as admissions from government officials themselves that convicted drug lords were running their syndicates from the NBP and other jails while enjoying special treatment from guards.

“I think there was some failure of concerned agencies,” Dela Rosa said in Filipino.

“You have to tell us straight. What happened that we’ve reached the point that we have 3.7 million Filipinos affected (by illegal drugs)?” Gordon responded.

He also asked Dela Rosa whether he was aware that government was able to seize ill-gotten assets of drug convicts in the past years, and the PNP chief replied in the negative.

De Lima, who felt alluded to by the questions, defended her record in cleansing the NBP of illegal drugs and other contraband.

She maintained that she had personally led raids at the NBP to seize firearms and other contraband and to make sure convicted drug lords could not continue running their syndicates.

Dela Rosa said convicted drug lords like Peter Co saw their business crippled owing to the deployment of the PNP Special Action Force commandos at the NBP.

He said it would have been better if the deployment of the SAF was done much earlier.

“We thought of that but we had to consult our lawyers,” De Lima responded.

Meanwhile, whistle-blower Sandra Cam said she was willing to join De Lima even in “hell” as she asked the senator to be fair in the investigation.

Cam, guest of the weekly forum “Newsbreak sa Cherry Blossoms” hosted by the Manila City Hall Press Corps, said the country’s problem on illegal drugs would not have deteriorated had the senators listened to her.

“Now, I really feel vindicated,” Cam said, noting she had long wanted to talk about the alleged involvement of De Lima in illegal drugs, but none of the senators listened to her.

According to Cam, she does not care about De Lima’s illicit affair but what she wants is to prove the senator’s involvement in the corruption inside the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) and that of her driver.

Cam also challenged the senators who prevented her from speaking about the drug problem and corruption inside the BuCor to face her.

“I am just waiting for Congress and the Senate to call me. I want (it to be) fair and square. I will join them even in hell,” Cam said.

Cam said she would reveal more of what she knew about the BuCor anomalies on the first week of September.

She assailed Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV for questioning the PNP’s war against drugs where the lives of policemen were being placed in danger.

But “I support the proposal to subject to firing squad all the police scalawags,” Cam said. – With Jose Rodel Clapano