Bilibid drug lords bribe P1M for a cellphone –incoming BuCor chief

Big-time drug lords pay as much as P1 million to sneak a cellphone into the New Bilibid Prisons, a report by Jun Veneracion on "24 Oras" said Thursday, citing the incoming Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief.

According to Maj. Gen. Alexander Balutan, who will take his post as BuCor director general in August, cellphones are very important to convicted drug lords as they use them to run their operations behind bars.

"Walang kuwenta ito kung ikukumpara mo sa mga tini-trade nilang drugs. O-order sila sa China ng mga two hundred kilos, that's worth more or less P200 million. What is one million?" Balutan said.

The incoming BuCor chief said he already has a list of about 1,000 personnel involved in corruption, among them some prison superintendents, the highest ranking official in a prison facility.

BuCor only has around 3,000 members in its personnel for seven facilities, including Bilibid.

"Sibakin natin. Dapat sibakin kahit sino pa siya," Balutan said. "I have the backing of the President. Sinong matakot?"

Cellphones and signal boosters have repeatedly been found inside "kubols" that house the so-called Bilibid 19, the high-profile and alleged VIP inmates at the facility's Building 14.

These inmates were said to be plotting the assassination of President Rodrigo Duterte. They have since denied raising reward money for this purpose. 

On Wednesday, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Dir. Gen. Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa confronted some of these inmates, including Herbert Colangco, Peter Co, and Jaybee Sebastian. 

The inmates were taken back to their cells at Building 14 the same afternoon. They are no longer allowed to have food catering inside the facility, which is seen as a way to sneak contraband inside prison.

The PNP-Special Action Force (SAF) recovered signal boosters and money during its clearing operations of Building 14.

The PNP-SAF assumed their security posts on Wednesday, replacing the NBP guards in the government's aim to discourage illegal activities and special accommodations for certain inmates.

BuCor is also looking into transferring the high-profile inmates, with detention facilities of the Armed Forces of the Philippines being considered.

"They have to be isolated, ma-cut communication nila from their contact, their network," Balutan said. — Rose-An Jessica Dioquino/KBK, GMA News