THE Davao del Norte Provincial Police Office (DNPPO) is still conducting a thorough investigation of the shooting incident that killed a whistle-blower who divulged about the alleged prostitution and corruption inside the New Bilibid Prison.
The victim was previously assigned at the Davao Prison and Penal Farm or popularly known as Dapecol.
Chief Inspector Eduardo Jungco, chief of police of the Carmen Municipal Police Station, identified the victim as Kabungsuan Makilala, a security officer of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), who was killed by motorcycle-riding gunmen around 9 a.m. on Saturday, February 4, while he was riding a Bachelor Bus in Carmen, Davao del Norte.
DNPPO Director Senior Superintendent Ferdinand Sifuentes said that they could not release any concrete information yet on the incident as the investigation is still ongoing.
In People’s Television’s official Facebook page, photos of the incident were shown depicting the inside of the Bachelor Bus where the victim was sitting when the suspects shot him.
The DNPPO said there were four other passengers in the bus who were injured including Police Officer 3 Pablo Paolo, who responded to the shooting incident.
In 2012, the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched an investigation on the issue of corruption inside Bilibid based on what Makilala had revealed.
In his testimony, Makilala threw some accusations against former BuCor Director Ernesto Diokno and Director Gaudencio Pangilinan.
Due to the incident, the Whistleblowers Association of the Philippines President Sandra Cam to ask help of BuCor Director Benjamin Delos Santos for the death of Makilala.
In an interview with Cam by one of the radio stations in Manila, she said the death of Makilala serves as an eye opener to the DOJ as the witnesses on the allegations of corruption inside Bilibid are being targeted.
It was revealed that on February 2012, Makilala approached former DOJ secretary Leila de Lima to ask for protection as he said that he is afraid of the possible danger he and his family will encounter.
It was reported that Makilala was removed by de Lima from the Witness Protection Program and assigned him in Dapecol, which Cam pointed out that exposed him to threats and danger.
Makilala was the third official in Dapecol who was shot to death, following the deaths of Robert Quinto and Willy Plasabas last year.