BUREAU of Corrections (Bucor) Director General Gerald Bantag assured on Monday, October 28, that the situation is "manageable" inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).
“Merong tubig, kung may crisis man, eh manageable yun,” he said in a chance interview with reporters.
“Alam ninyo, even before demolition, marami nang namamatay diyan eh, di ba? Sa Senado, sila mismo ang nagsasabi. Ilan ang percentage (ng namamatay)? Kung may namatay man, eh dahil may medical issues na talagang mamatay ‘yung tao,” he added.
In a social media post, the Kapatid-Families and Friends of Political Prisoners claimed that there is an ongoing humanitarian crisis in the NBP and that the facility is on lockdown.
The group alleged that seven prisoners have died due to the ongoing demolition of illegal shanties in the NBP.
The BuCor official confirmed that some inmates had died but not because of the demolition but because of pre-existing illness.
He said they were already addressing the health situation of the detainees in the national penitentiary.
Bantag said the NBP has been cleared of illegal shanties and all prisoners have been moved inside the buildings.
At least 18,000 prisoners are in the NBP, which is almost double the capacity of the facility.
Without the illegal kubols, the buildings would become more overcrowded but Bantag said they have a strategy in housing the inmates.
“May mga floor yan eh, ‘yung original plan niyan kung may dalawang floor, maging fourth floor yan. Diskarte, di ba? Kasya,” he said.
Bantag earlier vowed to carry out aggressive and massive reform programs particularly against erring and VIP (Very Important Persons) convicts inside the corruption-stricken Bilibid. (SunStar Philippines)