An ambulance driver of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City attempted to smuggle a contraband into the detention facility last Saturday, June 3, but he was caught and is now under investigation.
In a statement, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) identified the suspected violator of the bureau’s standard operating procedures as Corrections Officer 1 Marvin Ceballos.
BuCor’s Officer-in-Charge Deputy Director Angelina L. Bautista said that Ceballos was caught trying to bring inside the NBP dried tobacco leaves after he ferried a person deprived of liberty (PDL) for an emergency referral.
Bautista said that as a standard operating procedure, “all personnel and vehicles coming inside the NBP searched for prohibited items.”
Like illegal drugs, cellular telephones, wines, liquors, cigarettes, and other items particularly deadly weapons, tobacco leaves are prohibited inside NBP and six other detention facilities managed and supervised by BuCor nationwide.
BuCor Director General Gregoio Pio P. Catapang Jr. reiterated his directive to watch over the bureau’s personnel not just the PDLs.
“’Yan ang dahilan kung bakit ang ating programa ay Reform BuCor, magkasabay naming nirereporma ang sariling naming officers and personnel habang may programa rin kami to reform PDLs (This is the reason why our program Reform BuCor also includes the reform of our personnel along with the reforms of the PDLs),” he said