BY JEFFREY DAMICOG
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Tuesday expressed agreement with National Privacy Commission (NPC) Commissioner Raymund Liboro that the death of New Bilibid Prison (NBP) inmate Jaybee Sebastian should have been made public.
“At least with respect to Jaybee Sebastian, who was supposed to testify for the people in the cases against Senator (Leila) de Lima at the time of his death, I certainly agree with Commissioner Liboro’s statement,” Guevarra said.
“As to the eight others who were already serving sentence for drug offenses at the time of their death, it may be prudent to await the results of the NBI investigation first,” he added.
The death of Sebastian and eight others has raised doubts on its veracity, prompting several lawmakers including Senate President Vicente Sotto to call for an investigation “in aid of legislation”.
In a statement, Sotto said the Senate will investigate “speculations as to whether…these NBP inmates actually died due to (the) COVID-19 disease,” or if the alleged deaths were a ruse to let the prisoners escape.
Guevarra learned from Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Gerald Bantag on Monday that Sebastian and eight other NBP inmates convicted for illegal drugs charges have died of coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Bantag also told Guevarra that all of those who died of COVID-19 were cremated within 12 hours pursuant to health protocols of the Department of Health (DoH) to prevent the spread of the disease.
Prior this, Bantag has refused to reveal to the media the identities of those who died from COVID-19 due to the Data Privacy Act.
To dispel doubts that these inmates have died from COVID-19, Guevarra has directed on Monday the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to conduct an investigation.
Liboro said Bantag shouldn’t have used The Data Privacy Act as “a cloak for denying the public’s right to know.”
The commissioner explained high-profile inmates like Sebastian have become “public figures on account of their previous association with particular national issues in the past.”
“There is a justified public interest to release information like details surrounding the deaths from COVID-19 of these high-profile inmates, especially when the personal information being sought is linked to issues already on the minds of the public,” he pointed out.
Sebastian, who was convicted in 2009 for kidnap-for-ransom and carjacking, was the leader of “Presidio,” one of the two prominent gangs inside the NBP, rivaling “Carcel,” the group headed by Herbert Colanggo, also a convicted kidnapper.
He died from COVID-19 Saturday morning, July 18, at the NBP Hospital and then cremated in Dasmarinas City, Cavite the same day.
Sebastian is a witness and co-accused in one of the drug charges filed against detained de Lima before the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court (RTC).
In the case, de Lima is accused of conspiring with Sebastian, former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Jesus Bucayu, Bucayu’s former staff Wilfredo Elli, her former driver and lover Ronnie Dayan, De Lima’s former security aide Joenel Sanchez, and Jad de Vera in the proliferation of illegal drugs at the Bilibid to help raise funds for her 2016 senatorial campaign.
During the probe conducted by the House of Representatives over the drug allegations against de Lima, Sebastian testified to have given her around ₱14 million from earnings in the narcotics trade.
