New BuCor chief vows to dismantle NBP 'syndicates'

Newly-installed Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) director Oscar Calderon on Thursday admitted that numerous syndicates are operating in the National Bilibid Prisons (NBP), supporting talks that “influential" inmates have been receiving special treatment. Calderon, who formally assumed his new post on Thursday, said he will start reforms in the NBP with the review of penitentiary inmates’ records. He noted that there is a need to sort out which inmate should be under maximum, medium or minimum security. "Punong puno ng sindikato rito (There are so many syndicates here). There should be only one syndicate and it's my syndicate," Calderon said in an interview on dzBB radio, without elaborating on the nature of these syndicates. "Aayusin ko ang record section natin sino ang sa maximum at minimum section. Ang records, di pa medyo maganda (I will iron out our records section. Our record section does not look too good)," he added. In the interview, Calderon also committed to prevent future incidences of prison escape at the NBP, although he said he asked Justice Sec. Raul Gonzalez for assistance in keeping this promise. "Pinangako ko during my term tulungan ninyo ako walang makatakas during my term (I promised Gonzalez I will prevent more escapes under my watch but I told him he has to help me)," he said. Calderon said during his stay as BuCor chief, he will work to upgrade the living standards of the inmates in the penitentiary. - GMANews.TV