DO DEAD men tell tales?
This was not the case of murdered high-profile drug inmate Jerryfer Perigrino.
Just before he was killed in an ambush yesterday, Perigrino reportedly admitted to officials of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) that jailed drug lord Alvaro “Barok” Alvaro was behind the smuggling of illegal drugs inside the facility.
CPDRC Warden Reynaldo Valmoria said Perigrino gave them the information after he was caught with illegal drugs in his cell during a greyhound operation last August.
Perigrino, along with jail guards Joel Teves and Bernie Bayotas, were killed after they were ambushed by four men aboard two motorcycles while traveling to court for the filing of additional drug charges against the former.
Valmoria said that Perigrino and Alvaro were reportedly in conflict over the smuggling of illegal drugs at the CPDRC. Their feud escalated due to constant operations conducted by police and jail officials to end their illegal operations.
Valmoria said that it is possible for Alvaro to have masterminded Perigrino’s killing.
“I’m not sure that Barok is involved, but he has a lot of money and he can hire someone to kill for him,” he said in Cebuano.
Perigrino had his fair share of controversy while detained at the CPDRC.
Two years ago, former CPDRC warden Romeo Manansala resigned from his post due to allegations that he was giving special treatment to some high-profile inmates, including Perigrino.
Manansala, along with former CPDRC consultant Marco Toral, allegedly allowed Perigrino to keep fighting cocks and park his car inside the jail.
During the term of former CPDRC wardens Roberto Legazpi and Audesti Miguel, various contraband and illegal drugs were seized from Perigrino in different greyhound operations.