De Lima orders Bilibid 'cubicles' dismantled

(Updated 5 p.m., June 8, 2011) Justice chief Leila De Lima on Tuesday ordered the immediate dismantling of special cubicles occupied by convicted Chinese drug lords in the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP), following the admission of its supervisor that "double standard" prevails in the maximum security facility. "Dapat po today, alisin na po iyon [the cubicles]. Today. Please dismantle those being occupied now by those drug convicts," she said during the House justice committee’s hearing at the prison compound in Muntinlupa City. De Lima issued the order after members of the House panel saw a “hotel-like" cubicle of a Chinese national convicted for drug charges inside the NBP’s maximum security compound during an ocular inspection before the hearing. “’Yung Chinese drug lord, ‘yung kwarto niya parang hotel. Marami pang salamin. ‘Yung para sa mga Pilipino, nagsisiksikan. There is even a playground for children beside the kubol," Muntinlupa Rep. Rodolfo Biazon said during the hearing. NBP chief Superintendent Ramon Reyes assured the officials attending the congressional hearing that the special cubicles will be dismantled before the day ends. He said previous plans to dismantle the special cubicles for wealthy inmates have not been implemented because the area where they will be relocated is not yet ready. “Nadatnan na po natin diyan. Before, we got the instructions to demolish the kubols for these Chinese inmates pero hindi pa po natin naililipat kasi hindi pa tapos ang paglilipatan," he said. Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. said the legislators were “very disappointed" with the unequal conditions inside the prison compound. “Privileges must be based on substantial and germane distinctions, pero dito sa inyo, ang basis ay pera," he said. Kubol inspection A report by GMA News' Tina Panganiban Perez on GMA News TV's "News to Go" on Wednesday described one kubol as having a mini-kitchen, a bathroom, and a large bed. Some kubols had doorknobs, and some even had padlocks. "Mali na yan. Cells can only be opened and closed by authorities of the BuCor," Biazon said in the report. After the doorknob was destroyed, the kubol was found to have a mini-kitchen, a private bathroom, and a spacious room with a large bed, an electric fan, and wide windows. "Nagda-drugs sila, nagsesession sila. Paano mo makikita sila dito, nasa loob sila. Yung jail guard, nagkokonchaba," said resigned BuCor director Ernesto Diokno. One kubol even had a second floor, and a play room with children's toys. "That is crazy. Some inmates, four, five, three jampacked in one room and yet for the privilege you allow them to bring in playthings for their children," an obviously irritated Biazon said. [View the full TV report below.] Valenzuela Rep. Magtanggol Gunigundo said that he even saw digital video discs (DVDs) of pornographic films and the TV show “Prison Break" in a cubicle inside the NBP maximum security compound. De Lima asked Reyes to present an action plan on how to dismantle the rest of the special cubicles occupied by other inmates in the next few weeks. — with Carmela Lapeña, Andreo Calonzo/YA, GMA News