Over 500 weapons found in demolished kubols at NBP

MANILA, Philippines — More than 500 weapons were found in kubols or makeshift cubicles in the New Bilibid Prison (NBP)’s maximum security compound during a demolition drive on Friday.

Most of the weapons were blades and improvised firearms, according to the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor). Gadgets were also found in the kubols.

The demolition, which started on Friday and continued yesterday, targeted the compound’s east quadrant.

Personnel led by BuCor chief Gerald Bantag, along with those from the National Capital Region Police Office and Philippine Coast Guard, demolished the makeshift dwellings of some of the prison’s 18,000 inmates using a backhoe and a dump truck.

The BuCor said it had to clear the kubols at the east quadrant, built outside the compound’s overcrowded prison dormitories, because the makeshift dwellings had become an “eyesore” and so that inmates could no longer use them to stash contraband.

The demolition would also allow for the improvement of the east quadrant, which would be used for sports and educational activities, the bureau added.

The BuCor organized the demolition following a Jan. 2 riot and a prison break at the NBP. Two of the escapees were killed while two remain at large.

The BuCor is offering a reward for the capture of Drakilou Falcon and Candas Ablas, both serving a sentence for robbery with homicide.

Pacifico Adlawan and Arwin Bio were killed in pursuit operations. Adlawan was convicted of frustrated homicide and drug use while Bio was serving a sentence for murder and attempted murder.

All four escaped from the maximum security compound on Jan. 17.