Detained Sen. Leila deLima said Friday the successive riots inside the New Bilibid Prison inMuntinlupa City reflect the government’s severe mismanagement and repressive policies.
De Lima said therecent riot that erupted in the national state penitentiary was no surprise toher given that this and scandals “have become more prevalent and deadly” in theNBP since President Duterte took office.
“These successiveviolent incidents reflect an endemic environment within the NBP flowing fromgross mismanagement and bad or repressive policies,” De Lima said.
“It cannot just behostilities or animosities between and among rival gangs,” she added. Three inmates diedwhile 64 other persons deprived of liberty were injured during that scuffle.This melee happened amonth after two gangs engaged in a violent brawl in which nine inmates were killedand several others injured.
De Lima said she receivedreports that some PDLs are brutally beaten by other inmates when they reportany fellow prisoner who violates protocols or conduct any illegal activityinside the detention area to an NBP personnel.
“This is the resultwhen a brutal tough-guy wannabe appoints brutal sycophants like him to lead theNBP,” said De Lima, a former Justice Secretary.
“When the leadershipstops or chooses not to see the PDLs as humans that need to be reformed, andtreat them like savages – or worse, enable them to kill each other, if not killthem outright,” she said.
De Lima stressed that“iron-fisted, draconian policies” without concrete structural, organizational, andphysical infrastructure reforms, as well as change in mindset, simply won’twork in the NBP.