Review BuCor manual, says Tulfo amid 'excessive' inmate privileges
ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo (Facebook)
The House of Representatives ought to revisit the existing operations manual of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor). ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo made this call Thursday, Aug. 2. after he brought up in a House Committee on Public Order and Safety investigation the "excessive" privileges being enjoyed by certain inmate at the New Bilibid Prison's (NBP) maximum security compound. During the hearing, Tulfo grilled the attending BuCor officials on why they were allowing several privileges to inmates including the ordering food from outside the NBP and extended visiting hours. He also mentioned BuCor Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr.'s pronouncement in several interviews that wealthy and influential inmates were “running the show” inside the national penitentiary in Muntinlupa City. BuCor Senior Inspector Angelina Bautista, Superintendent of the NBP, told the House panel that the privileges cited by Tulfo were part of the rights given to prisoners or persons deprived of liberty (PDL). This prompted the neophyte lawmaker to question the BuCor operations manual. “I would suggest na kailangan siguro nating i-revisit yung manual ng Bureau of Corrections para makita po natin ang sinasabi ng opisyal na ito. Kasi para pong hindi na tama. Sobra naman hong napakaraming privileges,” Tulfo said. (I would suggest that we might need to revisit the Bureau of Corrections manual to see what this official is referring to. Because this doesn't seem right. These are too many privileges.) “Kung ganun ho sir ay mas maganda po yata ng buhay sa loob kesa labas (If that's the case then life behind bars is even better than life outside of it)," he sarcstically added. Last week, Tulfo claimed in a press briefing that certain "can afford" inmates at NBP get to enjoy lengthy conjugal visits, fast food deliveries, online shipping, and high-powered firearms. He cited another inmate as a source. Thursday's panel inquiry had to do with the reported disappearance of an inmate and the discovery of alleged mass graves at the maximum security compound of the NBP, as well as the continued operations of organized crime there.