Nancy Calls for Nationwide Audit of Jail Facilities

“Luxurious lifestyle of high-profile convicts sign of jail officials’ incompetence”

Senator Nancy Binay is calling for a nationwide audit of jail facilities in the country after a raid on New Bilibid Prison exposed the extravagant of high-profile convicts while in detention.

The lady senator believes that the fault lies in the system inside prison facilities of the country and shows lack of hands on management from officials.

“Paulit-ulit na lang ito and they are still not changing the system. They are not doing enough actual inspection of these facilities kaya naman sadyang inaabuso ito ng mga convicts. Paanong ‘di makakalusot ang mga kalabisang ito sa mga opisyal kung talagang mapagmatyag sila,” Binay asked.

“It is not enough for us to reshuffle the guards and officers in these facilities. The officials responsible should be held accountable, too, and we have to conduct constant inspection and audits of our jail facilities,” the senator said.

Binay said that the lapses also reflected badly on Justice Secretary Leila de Lima as the detention facilities are part of her jurisdiction, saying that the first step the justice secretary should have made was to ensure that the agencies falling under her jurisdiction were rid of anomalies.

It was only on December 15, Monday, at dawn when De Lima conducted the raid that the lavish lifestyle of high-profile convicts inside the New Bilibid Prison were exposed.

“Kinailangan pa ni Secretary De Lima na magsagawa ng raid upang ma-expose ang mga pang-aabusong ito. Bakit hindi ito napigilan nang mas maaga? Bakit kailangang siya pa mismo ang magsagawa ng raid bago mahuli ang mga ito?” she asked.

“Napakahirap isiping hindi alam ng mga opisyal mula sa taas hanggang sa baba na may ganitong nangyayari sa loob ng mga presinto. At lalong hindi pwedeng sa NBP director lamang mapunta ang lahat ng sisi. Si Secretary De Lima na mismo, upon her assumption of office, ang dapat na nagsimula sa paglilinis ng lahat ng ahensya na kaniyang pinamamahalaan,” Binay pointed out.