Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Wednesday welcomed the decision of the Senate to wait for the results of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) probe before proceeding with the inquiry over the deaths of Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) who died at Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) prisons due to the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
“I'm glad that Sen. (Richard) Gordon has decided to await the results of the NBI investigation before considering the conduct of a Senate probe on the same subject,” he said.
“The NBI has the necessary expertise to verify the relevant facts,” Guevarra said.
Gordon, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, said the Senate will conduct a probe over the deaths of PDLs at the BuCor but will wait for the results of the NBI investigation.
The Justice Secretary said he has received a copy of the NBI’s initial report on its ongoing investigation.
Guevarra added the NBI might submit its progress report by the end of the week.
He had earlier issued an order directing the NBI to confirm the report of the BuCor that 21 inmates have died from COVID-19 since March.
The move was made due to reports that high-profile convicted kidnapper and carjacker Jaybee Sebastian and eight other high-profile inmates convicted of drug charges have died from COVID-19.
“The BuCor has sent copies of the subject death certificates to the DoJ,” Guevarra noted.
Justice Undersecretary Markk Perete confirmed the death certificates include those of the nine inmates -- Sebastian, Amin Imam Boratong, Eugene Ho Chua, Francis Go, Benjamin Marcelo, Sherwin Sanchez, Willy Yang, Shuli Lim Zhang, and Hung Kin Sing, also known as "Jimmy Ang."
“These, along with the swab test results and other documents, will be turned over to the NBI which is conducting the investigation into the death of high profile inmates at the national penitentiary,” he said.