NATIONAL Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Director Guillermo Eleazar said on Tuesday, October 8, that they will provide newly appointed Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Gerald Bantag a list of the BuCor personnel who are allegedly involved in illegal activities inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).
Eleazar said the list is based on the intelligence report of the “quad-intel force” which is composed of the NCRPO, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-NCR, National Bureau of Investigation-NCR and the Joint Task Force-NCR of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
The said law enforcement agencies earlier declared their alliance as part of the government’s intensified campaign against illegal drugs and syndicates, particularly in Metro Manila.
Eleazar said the list of erring Bucor personnel will serve as a guide for the vetting process initiated by Bantag.
Eleazar said they will also provide Bantag with the names of the inmates on their drug list in order so he can implement security measures and stop their illegal drugs operation inside and outside the NBP.
“Ito ay bahagi ng tulong Quad-Intel Force sa malawakang reporma ni Director General Bantag sa NBP. Kung ang mga inmates na ito ay patuloy ang kanilang operasyon sa Bilibid sa tulong ng mga tiwaling personnel, ang mga mamamayan lalong lalo na sa Metro Manila ang patuloy na magdudusa sa paglaganap ng droga at mga krimen na dahil sa droga,” he said.
“Kaya nararapat lang na ang lahat ng tulong ay maibigay sa BuCor para alam nila ang gagawin, magkaroon sila ng plano para matigil na ang mga kalokohan sa loob,” he added.
Bantag earlier asked the NCRPO and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology to deploy some of their forces inside the NBP while he is still choosing his own strike force.
He had said that the NBP personnel has already been compromised due to deeply-rooted corruption inside.
Bantag also vowed to implement “drastic changes” at the NBP.
The NCRPO has deployed a total of 551 policemen in the NBP to help secure the detention facility as Bantag relieved all prison guards for allegedly giving favors to rich inmates, including convicted drug lords.
Bantag said they are now subjecting all NBP personnel to validation.
Once the NBP personnel, particularly new recruits, passed the vetting process which aims to get rid of corruption-tainted prison guards, they will undergo retraining program with the NCRPO.
This is the reason, according to Bantag, why he sought manpower from NCRPO and BJMP.
On Monday, the quad-intel force assigned a liaison officer inside the NBP in a bid to finally end the culture of corruption and stop the operations of convicted drug lords and other syndicates inside the detention facility.
“The liaison office of the Quad-Intel Force at the New Bilibid Prisons will serve as the intelligence command headquarters to facilitate the sharing of information against convicted felons who are allegedly continuously running the operations of drug syndicates and other criminal groups,” Eleazar said.
“The setting up of Quad-Intel Force liaison office is timely and will serve as a support system on the massive and aggressive reform programs of President (Rodrigo) Duterte, through Director General Bantag, inside the NBP,” he added.
Eleazar said it is the first time that intelligence units of various government law enforcement agencies are allowed to set up an office at the NBP for monitoring and intelligence-sharing with the BuCor. (SunStar Philippines)