Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Tuesday agreed with National Privacy Commission (NPC) Commissioner Raymund Liboro that the death of New Bilibid Prison (NBP) inmate Jaybee Sebastian should have been made public.
“At least, with respect to Jaybee Sebastian, who was supposed to testify for the people in the cases against Senator de Lima at the time of his death, I certainly agree with Commissioner Liboro’s statement,” Guevarra said.
“As to the eight others who were already serving sentences for drug offenses at the time of their death, it may be prudent to await the results of the NBI investigation first,” he added.
Guevarra learned from Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Gerald Bantag on Monday that Sebastian and eight other NBP inmates convicted of illegal drugs charges have died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Bantag also told Guevarra that all of those who died from COVID-19 were cremated within 12 hours pursuant to health protocols of the Department of Health (DOH) to prevent the spread of the disease.
Prior to this, Bantag has refused to reveal to the media the identities of those who died from COVID-19 due to the Data Privacy Act.
To dispel doubts that these inmates have died from COVID-19, Guevarra has directed the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Monday to conduct an investigation.
Liboro said Bantag shouldn’t have used the Data Privacy Act as “a cloak for denying the public's right to know.”
The commissioner explained that high-profile inmates like Sebastian have become “public figures on account of their previous association with particular national issues in the past.”
“There is a justified public interest to release information like details surrounding the deaths from COVID-19 of these high-profile inmates, especially when the personal information being sought is linked to issues already on the minds of the public,” he pointed out.
Sebastian, who was convicted in 2009 for kidnap-for-ransom and carjacking, was the leader of “Presidio,” one of the two prominent gangs inside the NBP, rivaling “Carcel,” the group headed by Herbert Colanggo, also a convicted kidnapper.
He died from COVID-19 Saturday morning at the NBP Hospital and was cremated in Dasmarinas City, Cavite on the same day.
Sebastian was a witness and co-accused in one of the drug charges filed against Sen. Leila de Lima before the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court (RTC).
De Lima is accused of conspiring with Sebastian, former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Jesus Bucayu, Bucayu’s former staff Wilfredo Elli, her former driver and lover Ronnie Dayan, De Lima’s former security aide Joenel Sanchez, and Jad de Vera in the proliferation of illegal drugs at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) to help raise funds for her 2016 senatorial campaign.
During the probe conducted by the House of Representatives over the drug allegations against de Lima, Sebastian testified that he has given her around P14 million from earnings in the narcotics trade.