NBI confirms text messages between BuCor staff, inmate's partner

The National Bureau of Investigation was able to verify the text messages between Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) personnel and the partner of an inmate who claimed to be a victim of the “GCTA for sale” racket at the New Bilibid Prison.

NBI director Dante Gierran presented the report on the forensic examination on the mobile phones of Corrections Senior Insp. Ma Benilda Bansil and Corrections Officer 3 Veronica Buño during the resumption of the Senate hearing on alleged corruption in the BuCor.

“Our  application for warrant-less disclosure was approved by the court and we are now allowed by law to open the cellphone of two of the three and it appears there were communication between and among the three of them,” he said.

Gierran said one of the results of their examination showed that on February 21, 2019, Yolanda Camilon, the inmate’s partner, received text messages from Bansil and Buño about a certain transaction.

He said they were not able to extract any call from the phone of Buño as it was password protected.

Gordon confronted Bansil with the result of the NBI report. Bansil admitted that she really had conversation with Camilon because the latter was seeking her assistance with BuCor documents chief Staff Sergeant Ramoncito Roque so that the prison term of her partner would be shortened.

“Talagang nag-uusap kami [ni Camilon], nagpapasama siya kay Sir Chito. Nag-text nga siya na nagpapasama siya sa bahay ni Chito Roque,” said Bansil.

Buño, who initially denied knowing and talking with Camilon, invoked her right against self-incrimination when Gordon asked her about the NBI report.

Camilon said Buño made follow ups on the money she was supposed to pay to Roque.

Pressed by Gordon, Buño admitted texting Camilon but still denied that she talked to her.

“Nag-usap kayo sa text, right? Mape-perjury ka,” Gordon said, to which Buño replied: “Hindi ko siya nakakausap pero nag-message ako sa kanya.”

“Ang binabanggit ni Yolanda ay tinawagan ko siya, hindi po, hindi ko siya kinakausap. Yes, sir [nag-text ako sa kanya],” Buño added.

Gordon repeatedly asked Buño how can she say that she did not communicate with Camilon when she texted her. Buño insisted that she does not personally know Camilon.

Camilon earlier played before the committee a recording of her phone conversation with Buño, who denied that the voice was hers.

Gordon then asked the NBI if they have evidence that Buño erased her messages in the phone, to which NBI Supervising Agent Christopher Paz said they cannot see it yet as the phone is passcode protected.

Paz then informed Gordon that they have secured a warrant for examination of data from a court and they only need to serve it to Buño for them to perform the forensic examination.

The senator allowed the NBI to serve the warrant to Buño, who then also gave her passcode to the NBI.

Gordon advised Buño to tell-all as the NBI will eventually see what was in her phone. He asked the corrections officer if she wanted to talk with a lawyer to help her decide, which the latter agreed to. —KBK, GMA News