SENATE President Vicente Sotto III said they were verifying a report that several persons deprived of liberty at the National Bilibid Prison (NBP) had died from coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

“It’s an insider report. I already asked Secretary Guevarra (Department of Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra). He is still verifying,” Sotto said.

Sotto was referring to a report that several prisoners, including high-value detainees, had died from Covid-19 and were cremated.

The list includes convicted drug lords.

The report said the Eastern Funeral Homes in Muntinlupa City, the official funeral home extending service for the prisoners of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), have no records of the deceased detainees.

But Panteon de Dasmarinas, which is one of the official crematoriums of the BuCor, has a record showing one inmate was cremated on May 29 while two were cremated on May 31.

The North Cemetery, on the other hand, said the remains of another detainee were cremated on June 3.

Details of the reported death and cremation of four others were not available, according to the report.

The BuCor has yet to update its list of Covid-19 infections in its facilities since July 1.

On July 14, Justice Undersecretary Markk Perete said the total number of infections in BuCor detention facilities remained at 343.

Of the 18 inmates who died from the disease, 15 were from the NBP while three were from the Correctional Institute for Women. (SunStar Philippines

(Note: We have deleted the names of the PDLs who allegedly died from Covid-19 in compliance to the Data Privacy Act.)