Solon wants convicted drug lords banished to West PHL Sea

A party-list lawmaker on Monday proposed that detained drug lords who continue to lord it over inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) be exiled to an island in the West Philippine Sea.

In a statement, ACT-CIS party-list Representative Niña Taduran pointed out that it was no secret that big-time drug lords inside the national penitentiary continue to enjoy "special privileges" such as their own "kubols," as they "own" corrupt prison guards and officials.

Since convicts are able to continue with their trade inside NBP through phone communication and by bribing guards and officials, Taduran said she is pushing for a "radical solution" that would place these convicts in a place where there is "no cellphone signal, no guards to bribe, and no means of escape."

"There are numerous islets in the West Philippine Sea near Pagasa island being claimed by the Philippines, where someone with the ingenuity and resourcefulness of these convicted drug lords could survive on their own,” she said.

Taduran said that since the Armed Forces of the Philippines is already patrolling the area, they only have to ensure that no one leaves or enters the islands where the prisoners will be exiled.

“The move would in fact solve not only all the problems hounding the New Bilibid Prison at the moment, but also help the Philippine government assert its claim over these islands in the West Philippine sea, by populating them with prisoners... Filipino prisoners,” she said.

Other detainees inside the national penitentiary may also be transferred to other penal colonies, Taduran said, and the NBP may be sold to the private sector. The proceeds of the sale may then be used to fund the Duterte administration's "Build, Build, Build" program.

“Nasa likod lang ng Ayala Alabang ang NBP, mas pakikinabangan ng pamahalaan kung ibebenta na lang ang lupang ‘yan, kaysa patirahin diyan ang mga pasaway na druglords,” she said. —KBK, GMA News