MANILA, Philippines - A high-profile inmate of the National Bilibid Prison (NBP) has tested positive for drug use, a few days after last week’s riot at the Building 14 at the national penitentiary.
Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) officer-in-charge Rolando Asuncion said drug tests conducted last Thursday by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) found carjack gang leader Raymond Dominguez positive for illegal drugs.
But the test result still has to undergo a confirmatory test, Asuncion said.
He said the drug test aims to determine if the inmates were using illegal drugs, as they were reportedly having a pot session before the riot took place.
High-profile inmates in the national prison’s Building 14 figured in last week’s riot that left convicted kidnapper and Chinese drug lord Tony Co dead and three others wounded.
Inmates Jaybee Sebastian, Peter Co and Vicente Sy are now confined at the heavily guarded Medical Center Muntinlupa (MCM).
Asuncion said once Sebastian, Co and Sy get out of the hospital, he would segregate and separate inmates in Building 14 by group to prevent such riots in the future.
But the BuCor is still considering where to transfer the inmates, he said.
At the same time, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said yesterday ways to tighten watch at the National Bilibid Prison (NBP)’s medium and minimum security compounds are now being thought out, in view of reports that drug lords in the maximum security compound are coursing their contraband through these areas.
“Because of the very tight enforcement of security by the Special Action Force of the Philippine National Police (SAF-PNP) at the maximum security compound, they (inmates) have now shifted to areas that have no SAF security like the medium and minimum (security compounds),” Aguirre said.
Unconfirmed reports have it that transactions to bring illegal drugs weighing three to five kilos weekly into the NBP are now being coursed through inmates at the minimum and medium security compounds.
“They would bring in three to five kilos of drugs for their personal consumption,” Aguirre said.
“Those in the maximum (compound) and in Building 14 could no longer place orders because while some of them still manage to conceal their cellular phones, their signals are completely shut down because there are now signal jammers,” he added.
The justice secretary is thus hoping some generous donors would also give jammers for the minimum and medium security compounds.
He admitted, though, that no Oplan Galugad has been conducted at the NBP’s medium and minimum security compounds.
He added another problem is that the PNP has already released 400 SAF personnel for the maximum compound and Building 14, and it might be hard to ask for more men.
“From the beginning, there have been complaints that we have used up a large number of SAF personnel, and they need these men to also perform duties in Mindanao,” Aguirre said. “But I’m glad that PNP chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa has allowed that the present strength (400 men) be retained at NBP.”
Aguirre said the justice department is considering tapping the Marines to secure the minimum and medium security compounds but this would need more funding. – With Ghio Ong