Bilibid tensions still high but violence contained: DOJ

FILE: New Bilibid Prison (Photo By Jovie Naval via Bureau of Corrections/Website)

MANILA – Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Monday said tensions between warring prison gang members at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City remained high over the weekend following Friday’s brawl that left at least nine inmates dead.

“The situation was still tense as of yesterday (Sunday). There were intelligence reports that one group was amassing to strike back at the rival group,” Guevarra said in a message to newsmen.

While he has yet to receive an update on the situation, Guevarra added that “prison authorities, with the assistance of the police, have so far contained the violence”.

Justice Undersecretary Deo Marco, meanwhile, said it is too early to say whether there had been lapses on the part of any prison official who may be held liable for the incident.

“It is too early to say. Anyway, the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) already came in to investigate how it all started,” Marco said.

The justice department earlier asked the NBI and the Bureau of Corrections Director General Gerald Bantag to investigate and submit a report on the incident as soon as possible.

At least seven members of the Sputnik Gang and two from the Commando Gang were killed in the clash inside the east quadrant of the NBP’s maximum security compound which occurred from 2:30 a.

m. to 4 a.m. on October 9.

BuCor spokesperson Gabriel Chaclag earlier said leaders of the warring gangs would be called to identify the persons responsible for the incident.

Around 18,000 inmates are detained at the national penitentiary. Once identified, Chaclag said those responsible for instigating the trouble could face demerits on their good conduct time allowance credits as well as isolation to prevent further influencing other inmates.