Solon claims Negros Or. jail-rehab center ‘whitewashed’ before 2017 raid

Negros Oriental Representative Arnolfo Teves Jr. on Tuesday said no illegal drugs and other contraband were found at the Negros Oriental Detention and Rehabilitation Center (NODRC) during a raid in 2017 because the facility had been "whitewashed" just before authorities swooped in at the area.

LIVE sa dzBB: Cong. Arnulfo Teves ng 3rd District ng Negros Oriental kaugnay sa mga nakumpiskang kontrabando sa Negros Oriental Provincial Jail. https://t.co/VvmwPer9Fm

— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) June 26, 2018

"Nung ni-raid dati, nagpaalam sila sa management ng jail... bago sila mag-raid. It ended up, walang nakuha, just a broken cellphone. And right after the raid, may isang inmate na nakatawag sa akin," Teves recalled in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB.

Teves got the inmate in touch with then Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa in an effort to prove that inmates were able to hide their illegal possessions before the raid. Dela Rosa has since become head of the Bureau of Corrections. 

"Sabi ko kay Bato, 'General bakit katatapos lang ang raid bakit mayroon pang nakatawag?' Sa tingin ko it was whitewashed kasi bakit walang nakuha na droga at just a broken cellphone at may nakatawag right after the raid," he said.

Teves, vice chairman of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, claimed he requested a probe of the prison in Congress before as the NODRC was long rumored to be a source of illegal drugs.

He believes the management of the jail should be held accountable for allowing the drug trade to proliferate behind bars.

"Ang masaklap dito, dapat makasuhan yung in charge. Kung walang kasabwat na nagpapatakbo ng jail, walang mangyayaring ganito," Teves said. "To me, it should go up the hierarchy of the management."

"Kung ikaw magpaptakbo at kailangan magpaalam sa 'yo bago hulihiin, then it's a very easy protection racket dahil pwedeng-pwede mong gawing bodega dahil alam mong di ka pwedeng i-raid ng 'di nagpapaalam sa 'yo," he continued.

Teves also how subsequent drug raids inside the provincial detention and rehabilitation center seemed to have only targeted the small fish.

"Nakapagtataka na yung maliliit na nahuli, yung pailan-ilang gramo, ilang tao, nababalita," Teves said.

Latest raid

Authorities seized 80 grams of an unknown substance believed to be shabu along with cellphones, other contraband items, and  P106,000 in cash at the NODRC on Monday during a surprise "Oplan Greyhound" raid.

The suspected shabu, packed in 54 packs and sachets, could have an estimated value of more than P800,000.

NODRC warden Louie Rastica has already ordered a "full-blown" investigation into the illegal activities in the jail, drug tests for employees, and an assessment of trustees who may have acted as drug couriers.

Rastica also noted that similar raids conducted in 2017 yielded no illegal drugs despite verified reports of the illegal drug trade inside the provincial jail. — Rie Takumi/MDM, GMA News