Sen. Sotto: Form fact-finding committee to probe Bilibid anomalies

"Why forget the big fishes in New Bilibid Prison (NBP)?" This was the question posed by 20 high-profile inmates to the Department of Justice (DOJ) when convicted kidnapper Jaybee Sebastian was not among those transferred to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

 

So as to throw out speculation that the DOJ is unfair, Senator Tito Sotto urged President Benigno Aquino III to form a fact-finding committee to investigate the rampant anomalies inside the NBP, according to a report aired over GMA News TV's News To Go on Friday.

 

Sotto recommended former Chief Justice Reynato Puno, ex-Caloocan City Rep. Luis "Baby" Asistio and former Sen. Panfilo Lacson as members of the committee.

 

On Christmas day, some inmates at the NBP let go of prohibited items in their possession after the deadline set by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima had expired.

 

Among the illegal possessions inmates gave up were sharp objects, drugs, flat screen TVs, DVD players, home theaters and other prohibited appliances, according to the report.

 

This came after a surprise inspection led by De Lima last week revealed the luxurious lifestyles of convicted drug lords.

 

A succeeding surprise raid inside "kubols" of inmates yielded more illegal drugs, cash, jewelry, sex toys, firearms, mobile phones and accessories inside the maximum security compound of the jail facility.

 

Twenty convicts were taken out of the NBP after the surprise inspections, a move defended by De Lima after the convicts filed separate petitions with the Court of Appeals for crippling their constitutional rights.

 

However, Sebastian, leader of the prison gang Sigue Sigue Commando in NBP, was among those whose "kubol" were not raided by the DOJ.

 

Sebastian is reputedly one of the influential inmates at the NBP. —Danessa O. Rivera/KG, GMA News