The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) on Wednesday, May 18, said it will impose sanctions on one of its prisoners who was found using the name of lawyer Vic Rodriguez, spokesperson of presumptive president Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., and reportedly soliciting money donations through social media.
The person deprived of liberty (PDL) was identified as Ryan Ace Castillejo who has been detained at the maximum-security compound of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City on convictions for two counts of qualified theft.
BuCor Deputy Director General Gabriel P. Chaclag said the bureau “vows to continue to implement measures to prevent inmates under its custody from further committing crimes such as this scam.”
“Said PDL is now being investigated and appropriate punishment will be applied for violating prison rules,” Chaclag said.
Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra had said that while Castillejo is already serving his jail term, charges of cybercrime will be filed against him.
Guevarra also said that he will order a deeper probe into the incident since “possession by a PDL of a mobile phone is strictly prohibited in the NBP, most especially in the maximum-security compound.”
Chaclag said that at around 7 pm last Monday, May 16, “BuCor personnel conducted surprise search operations inside the NBP Maximum-Security Compound targeting one PDL (person deprived of liberty) who was using the name of Atty. Vic Rodriguez to solicit money from businessmen.”
He said the operation was done with the National Bureau of Investigation’s Special Action Unit (NBI-SAU).
“One unit Huawei smart phone was discovered in his cell,” Chaclag said.
Mobile phones and other communications gadgets are considered contraband items and their possession by PDLs are strictly prohibited under prison rules and regulations.