Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez yesterday ordered the demolition of informal settlers’ houses around the city jail, believed to be the conduit of contrabands for inmates, after an explosion ripped through the detention facility, killing 10 prisoners and seriously injuring the warden Thursday.
In a statement, Olivarez said that guns, money, knives, and even drugs are reportedly being transported inside the Parañaque City Jail through the informal settlers and small stores built around the detention facility.
“Napag-alaman na naipapasok sa loob ng bilangguan ang mga baril, kutsilyo at iba pang kontrabando gamit ang mahabang lubid mula sa likod ng bintana ng building papunta sa mga bahay sa ibaba. Kapag hinila ng preso ay may kasama nang mga gamit kapalit ng pera,” Olivarez said.
Meanwhile, a Bureau of Jail Management and Penology source discounted the possibility that the Uzi sub-machine gun and two grenades that exploded at the Parañaque City Jail were owned by the ten fatalities.
According to the source, it is impossible that the gun and grenades were owned by the inmates since it is part of the standard operating procedure to frisk the inmates before going out of their cells.
“SOP na bago iharap sa warden ang isang inmate ay kinakapkapan muna ito, medyo mahirap magdala ang inmate magbitbit ng Uzi na di makikita ng personnel o isang jail officer,” the source said.
The source, who has been working for the BJMP for years, said the Uzi with its magazine “was too bulky to go unnoticed” especially if the inmates were wearing their prison shirt made of thin fabric.
“Hindi pwedeng itago lalo na’t may silencer ito at magazine na hahaba at bulky. Kahit saan itago sa katawan ng isang inmate na nakasout ng manipis na T-shirt lang, imposible at makikita ito,” the source added.
The source also said that if the officers can find illegal drugs hidden in the underwear of visitors during body search, the jail officer that escorted the inmates for sure wouldn’t miss the guns and grenades.
“Just in case kung totoo man na galing sa mga preso ang armas, bakit hindi nalaman o naamoy ng mga intellengence unit ang pagkakaroon ng mga nabanggit na armas sa loob ng piitan? Kung saan puwedeng makita ng ilang inmates na puwedeng makapag sumbong agad,” the source said.
An Uzi sub-machine gun and two grenade safety pins were found inside the office of Jail Supt. Gerald Bantag, warden of the Parañaque City Jail, after the incident. (Martin A. Sadongdong)
