Retired Philippine National Police chief Ronald dela Rosa speaks on his appointment as chief of the Bureau of Corrections, May 11, 2018.
QUEZON CITY, Philippines – The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) is planning to assign a separate detention facility for Chinese drug lords apart from Filipino drug personalities inside the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP.)
In an interview with the program “Get It Straight with Daniel Razon” Friday, May 25, BuCor Chief Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa said such move will cut the connections of drug inmates and prevent them from organizing illegal drug activities.
“So kung mahiwalay mo itong dalawa, kahit na mag-order nang mag-order itong mga Chinese sa China, magpadala ng shabu dito, wala nang mag-cater doon sa demand side dahil putol na yung contact nila at di na ma-distribute,” Dela Rosa explained.
( If you separate the two, regardless of how many times the Chinese [drug lords] send shabu from China, no one will take care of the demand side because their contact has been cut, they cannot distribute the goods anymore.)
Such plan is part of Dela Rosa’s project to decongest the national penitentiary. He said Bucor is now planning for the construction of additional buildings in all seven colonies of the agency in the country.
The BuCor Chief said he now understands why his predecessors in the BuCor were not able to completely solve illegal drug trade inside NBP. But Dela Rosa stressed that he is determined to finish his job until he achieves his goal.
“Ma-deliver ko lang iyong intention ko sa mga drug lord sa loob and it is really my intention to stop them. So in this kind of war, puwedeng ako ang matalo, pwedeng sila ang matalo. But I will see to it na hindi ako magpapatalo,” the former PNP Chief exclaimed.
However, Dela Rosa said he couldn’t ascertain if illegal drug trade would be totally eradicated in the country given the sophistication of drug lords in transacting illegal drugs.
The BuCor Chief added that big-time drug lords use high-end gadgets and even order fellow inmates to transact drugs on their behalf. Jamming systems are also becoming ineffective that’s why drug lords can still establish connection outside detention.
Nevertheless, Dela Rosa assured that majority of the inmates are determined to become better persons by veering away from unlawful activities especially when it involves illegal drugs.
“Hindi nga lahat diyan ay masasama. Marami pa rin diyan ang mababait, magagaling, matatalino (Not all inmates are bad. Many of them are kind, skilled and smart),” he said.
He also agreed that there are inmates who are actually innocent.
To date, BuCor has a total of 2,400 personnel deployed in seven penal colonies across the country. The agency is expecting 500 more this year.
Before he ended the interview, Chief Bato said he is likely to push for the reinstatement of the death penalty should he win as a senator. However, he said his decision still depends on the preference of President Rodrigo Duterte. – Rey Pelayo / Marje Pelayo
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