Dela Rosa after 2-day NBP inspection: Puro problema ang nakikita ko

New Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) director Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa on Wednesday said he has already seen so many problems inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City in his first two days in office.

"Wala pa akong nakitang solusyon, puro problema ang nakikita ko," Dela Rosa told Unang Balita.

He said long-term solutions to the problems that he has seen so far would entail a bigger budget allocation for the BuCor.

One of the significant problems he saw during his two-day inspection of the NBP is the civilian community within the prison compound.

He said an access road constructed around the perimeter of the prison facility has become accessible to civilians in the National Housing Authority's settlement area inside the prison facility's compound.

"Ang perimeter niya ginawang kalsada. Ang purpose niyan ay just in case may tumalon at mag-eskapo, may access road mga guard. Ginawan ng National Housing Authority ng malaking community sa likuran na part ng BuCor reservation, ang kalsada naging accissible sa sibilyan," he said.

Dela Rosa said the NBP access road should actually be restricted to civilians.

He said during daily morning perimeter checks, guards would discover contrabands inlcuding cellphones and cigarettes that were thrown from the access road.

Another problem inside the NBP is the mess hall, Dela Rosa said.

He said workers of the mess hall's concessionaire have been given direct access to the NBP's maximum security compound.

He added civilians who deliver sacks of rice, where drugs can be concealed, can access the maximum security compound.

Dela Rosa said he intends to immediately resolved this security issue with the mess hall concessionaire.

As a long-term solution, the former chief of the Philippine National Police said the BuCor will include in its annual budget allocation request funds for a new prison facility outside of Metro Manila.

He said that currently, there are six BuCor facilities outside of the capital.

Dela Rosa also supports the proposed transfer of the NBP to a mega prison facility in Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija.

He said there is a need to decongest the NBP, which he said is already over populated by 300 percent.

Meanwhile, Dela Rosa said he will make sure that drug lords and inmate bosses in the prison facility will be kept in line.

"Chief PNP pa ako alam na alam ko na kung sino ang mga siga diyan eh. Inunahan ko na. Kung magpapasiga-siga sila, maraming siga, mag-spark yan. 'Wag na natin hintayin na sasabog sila, kaya magpakabait sila," he said.

Dela Rosa talked to inmates at the maximum security compound on his first day in office and reminded them that he is the only authority in the whole NBP compound.

He told the high-profile inmates that he will not hesitate to use violence to instill discipline within the facility. —ALG, GMA News