“Lesser evil” or not being the reason behind the proliferation of
contraband luxury items inside the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP), Justice
Secretary Leila de Lima gave key prison officials until December 24 to
surrender them all, including firearms, drugs, and ammunition, or the
raids will continue.
Supt. Celso Bravo, officer-in-charge of the Bureau of Corrections’
Office of the Assistant Director for Prison and Security, said De Lima
gave the ultimatum after a second inspection visit to the NBP on Friday
morning. De Lima met with the Council of Elders or “bosyo” and told them
to cooperate in the ongoing search operations for contrabands.
The DOJ will conduct an investigation into the entry of contrabands
into the prison facility and those who will be found guilty will be held
liable.
As this developed, one of the key prison officials at the center of
the contraband controversy is ready to face any investigation and
maintained that he allowed the entry of appliances and other gadgets
into the facility to prevent deaths and violence among inmates.
Davao Prison and Penal Farm Supt. Venancio Tesoro, who was the NBP
superintendent from July 2013 to December 2013, told Manila Bulletin
that he is ready to face the investigation that will be conducted by the
DOJ through the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
“I’m open to investigation,” he said.
Philippine National Police (PNP) Firearms and Explosives (FEO)
director P/Chief Supt. Virgilio Moro Lazo, also said the registered
owners of the firearms seized from inmates will be asked to explain how
those guns ended in the possession of other people.
Earlier reports said that several firearms were found in the “kubol”
(quarters) of Peter Co and other inmates during the Dec. 15 at the NBP.
Co, one of the high profile prisoners at the NBP, yielded a cache of
firearms that included several pistols and an M-16 rifle, which
according to records from the FEO, were registered to several
politicians and a government employee.
Lazo, however, said that most of the firearms that were recovered
already have expired licenses. “So, those are loose firearms now. Those
found in possession of these firearms should be charged,” he added. Lazo
further said that the duly registered owners of the firearms who failed
to report the loss to the PNP may also be held liable.
Lazo said the FEO is also conducting its own investigation as to how
the firearms ended up with the prisoners at the correctional facility,
much more that these prisoners are not ordinary inmates, but are drug
leaders.
Tesoro said to make the activity centers inside the NBP’s maximum
security compound “attractive and worth attending to,” he allowed the
entry of air conditioning units, exhaust and electric fans, TV sets,
radio.
“Kung may mali, what I did was the lesser evil to save lives,” he
said, referring to encouraging inmates away from gang violence and
deaths inside the facility.
He said he could have employed cruelty or coercion to get prisoners
to his side but instead, he decided to establish activity centers for
the inmates.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima issued a show-cause order against
Tesoro and other prison officials to explain the entry of contraband
into the maximum facility.
Tesoro said when he was the NBP superintendent, “My task was to
address the growing restiveness, violence, substance abuse, unmitigated
drug trade and mysterious deaths of scores of inmates.”
He said he noticed the conspiracy of organized inmate groups in
covering up and establishing smokescreen in incidents requiring
investigation.
“There was, however, a dilemma. If I will use an iron hand in dealing
with (the) inmates, rude behavior and gang imposed belligerence,
anti-torture and human rights laws may get me in hot waters. Yet I must
immediately commence an activity if only to address the challenges
confronting my administration,” he explained.
He said he used the classic approach of dangling a “carrot” by introducing privileges to the inmates.
“I organized several Activity Centers (handicrafts workshops,
vocational centers, tailoring shops, therapeutic centers, automotive
courses, adult education clinics, reading centers, libraries) and
constructive facilities for these activities,” he said.
During his stint as NBP superintendent, he said, “there was general
peace and order” adding that “reports on substance abuse and mysterious
deaths were reduced markedly.”
He said as a result, “lives have been saved, skills have been
brokered and that for me says a lot if what I did contravenes my mandate
as a prison officer.”
Tesoro said supervising the maximum security compound composed of the
“most dangerous sector in our society is not a walk in the park.”
