Gordon wants NBI to finish probe on Bilibid deaths before Senate inquiry

Senator Richard Gordon on Tuesday said he would wait for the findings of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on the supposed COVID-19 deaths at the New Bilibid Prison before starting a Senate inquiry on the issue.

In a virtual interview, the chair of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee said he trusted Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra who ordered the NBI probe.

"I'm waiting for the Department of Justice (DOJ). I have a lot of faith in the Secretary of Justice... Out of respect to a co-equal branch of the government, let him do the investigation. He's a very good lawyer and I think he's sincere," Gordon said.

Asked if the Senate panel would drop the inquiry should NBI find no irregularities, Gordon said the hearings would still push through.

Last week, Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Senator Risa Hontiveros filed resolutions seeking a Senate inquiry on the questionable COVID-19 deaths in Bilibid.

Bureau of Corrections chief Gerald Bantag bared that 21 inmates have already died due to COVID-19 in the NBP, nine of whom were high-profile.

However, he refused to disclose the names of the deceased as he invoked the Data Privacy Act.

Various speculations and conspiracy theories such as fake deaths and body swapping arose from the incident.

The DOJ confirmed that high-profile inmate Jaybee Sebastian was among those whom the BuCor claims to have died due to COVID-19.

In 2016, Sebastian tagged Senator Leila De Lima as a drug protector in Bilibid—an allegation that the latter has repeatedly denied. -NB, GMA News