Crackdown on national penitentiary was effective

The crackdown on the National Bilibid Prison (NBP) was effective, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said on Wednesday (Jan. 7).

"(Over the) short term, we were able to make sure that the (prison) VIPs’ lifestyles were checked. They should not be living as barons in the penitentiary. We have stopped that," Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said.

Lacierda noted that over the long term, the Department of Justice will institutionalize reforms to improve the prison’s management.

Authorities on December 15, 19 and 22 conducted a surprise inspection of the NBP's Maximum Security Compound, where convicted drug lords and notorious robbery gang leaders were incarcerated.

The raid yielded firearms, cash, liquor, drugs, modern amenities such as a jacuzzi, sauna, bathtub, generator, split-type air-conditioning units, Wi-Fi devices, gaming console, private gym, even equipment found in recording studios.

Noting that the problem at the NBP lies in the system and the prison’s personnel, Lacierda said Justice Secretary Leila de Lima has been addressing the problem by removing people allegedly involved in the smuggling of contraband.

“Senate can come in and perhaps introduce new policies towards improving the penal system,” he said. (PCOO News Release)