BUREAU of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Gerald Bantag on Tuesday, July 21, 2020, brushed aside allegations of foul play in the death of several inmates at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) from coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
He said he welcomes the investigation that will be conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on orders of Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra.
“Ngayon ang masasabi ko lang at challenge ko lang sa kanila magharap sila ng isang buhay na tao at sasabihin nung buhay na tao na yun na ako po ‘yung pinatakas, ako po ‘yung nagbayad, ako ‘yung patay na yun sa death certificate,” Bantag said in a television interview.
(Let them present a person who can claim that he was allowed to escape from the prison, he paid for his freedom, or he was the one listed as deceased in a death certificate.)
Bantag issued the denial after Volunteer Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) chairperson Dante Jimenez said he wanted assurance that there was no foul play in the deaths of the inmates, including high-profile detainee Jaybee Sebastian.
Sebastian was among those who linked detained Senator Leila de Lima to the illegal drug trade inside the NBP when she served as head of the Department of Justice.
Bantag earlier said 21 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs), not 19 as he initially reported, had died from Covid-19 since March.
The deceased included high-profile inmates who were housed in Building 14 and three detainees at the Correctional Institution for Women.
Their remains were immediately cremated in compliance with the protocols of the Department of Health (DOH).
"Wala namang autopsy na mandate ang DOH, kasi nga mga Covid positive po ito hindi naman ako doctor gusto nyo kausapin nyo nalang ang doctor para maidetalye natin yan pero wala pong autopsy na dahil nga Covid cases na yan at naging severe na ngayon ang protocol natin within 12 hours dapat ma-cremate po,” said Bantag.
Bantag was summoned by Guevarra on Monday, July 20, after Senate President Vicente Sotto III said he received an insider report about the death of high-profile detainees at the NBP, including Sebastian and convicted drug lord Amin Buratong.
Following their meeting, Guevarra issued a department order directing the NBI to conduct an investigation on the matter.
Sotto has filed a resolution seeking a Senate inquiry on the matter.
He said “due to unclear and inaccurate and unverified reports” there were a lot of questions on the death of the inmates that needed to be answered. (Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo/SunStar Philippines)