BY JEFFREY DAMICOG
One of four inmates killed in the latest riot at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City was a convicted drug financier, the Department of Justice (DoJ) said Wednesday.
DoJ Undersecretary Emmeline Aglipay-Villar identified the slain convict as Calvin Tan whose mega drug laboratory in Mandaue City was raided in 2004 and yielded P1.3 billion worth of shabu. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.
“They just confirmed the offense and crime was committed in Mandaue,” said the DoJ spokesperson who cited a report from the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor).
Villar also noted that “based on Calvin Tan’s prison record he has the same first, middle and last name as Calvin Tan extradited from HK (Hong Kong) and the same age so we can already report that it is the same person.”
The riot at the NBP Maximum Security Compound took place on Nov. 9 that left 62 other inmates wounded.
Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra has ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to probe the latest riot at the NBP.
The secretary said he wants also to find out if there was negligence among BuCor officials and personnel, including BuCor Director General Gerald Bantag, that resulted in the latest fight.
“These BuCor officials should have learned their lesson from the previous violent incident where several PDLs (persons deprived of liberty) were killed,” Guevarra earlier said.
Guevarra also said “the DoJ has ordered the BuCor to submit a detailed report ASAP (as soon as possible).”
Guevarra had previously ordered the NBI to investigate the Oct. 9 riot at the Quadrant 4 of the NBP’s Maximum Security Compound where nine inmates were killed and seven others injured.
The Oct. 9 riot stemmed from a fight between the Sigue Sigue Sputnik (SSS) and Sigue Sigue Commando (SSC) gangs.
The BuCor earlier said the riot happened “because of perceived disrespect to an LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) member of one group.”