BUREAU of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr. said on Thursday, August 24, 2023, that there are no mass graves inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP), following the inspection of all septic tanks within the facility.
In an interview with reporters, Catapang mentioned that no human remains were discovered in the three septic tanks located within the NBP, contrary to earlier reports and tips he had received.
“Wala namang mass grave. So we already submitted to the DOJ (Department of Justice) and Congress na finally na resolve na yung issue. Kung wala naman talagang mass grave, eh ‘di so be it,” he said.
(There really is no mass grave. So we have already submitted to the DOJ and Congress that the issue has finally been resolved. If there truly is no mass grave, then so be it.)
Earlier, Catapang said that he received information that some persons deprived of liberty (PDLs), who had been previously reported as either missing or having escaped in the past, were actually buried in septic tanks.
This came following the disappearance of PDL Michael Cataroja on July 7 from the NBP’s maximum security compound.
Officials earlier doubted that he was able to escape considering the strict security protocols in the maximum security.
In a bid to find him, Catapang directed the inspection of all septic tanks.
This also prompted the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights to launch an inquiry on the alleged discovery of mass graves in the NBP.
However, the bone fragment recovered from one of the septic tanks turned out to be from a chicken and not human based on the examination conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation.
Cataroja was rearrested by the police in Sitio Minahan Bato in Barangay San Isidro on August 17.
During a hearing with the panel on Tuesday, August 22, Cataroja said he escaped the facility by hiding underneath a garbage truck.
He said he bolted the facility due to boredom as no one visits him. (SunStar Philippines)