NINE high profile inmates detained at the New Bilibid Prison's (NBP) medium security compound were returned Thursday to the Building 14 of the maximum security compound, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said Friday.
The DOJ said the inmates, originally detained at the Building 14, were transferred to the medium security compound weeks ago allegedly without the knowledge of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II.
The inmates were Rico Caja, Joel Capones and Jojo Baligad, Benjamin Marcelo and Sam Lee Chua, Hanz Anton Tan, Che Kit Chua, Peter Co and Vicente Sy.
Most of the inmates have testified on the alleged involvement of detained Senator Leila de Lima in the alleged drug trading inside the NBP when she was justice secretary.
Caja, Capones and Baligad were placed at cell 23; Marcelo and Chua at cell 24; Tan and Kit Chua at cell 25; and Co and Sy at cell 26.
Balmes said their cells were far from Jaybee Sebastian's cell, which is in the block alpha.
Aguirre earlier said these inmates were transferred to the medium facility compound, without his knowledge, presumably under the watch of Bureau of Corrections (Bucor) chief Benjamin delos Santos.
Delos Santos resigned weeks ago following reports on the alleged resurgence of drug trading inside the NBP.
Aguirre also said that during their raids at the NBP joined by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Thursday morning, they were able to discover newly constructed kubols at the medium facility compound were high profile inmates were housed.
Aguirre said he will call for an investigation on the recently created kubols, that he assumed started when the Bucor allowed the high profile inmates' transfer to the medium facility compound. (SunStar Philippines)