Raids in the New Bilibid Prison will continue to completely weed out the national penitentiary of contraband and other prohibited items, according to the Department of Justice.
Justice Undersecretary and DoJ spokesman Emmanuel Caparas said that members of the Bureau of Correction would conduct weekly “Oplan Galugad” operations until the NBP is cleared of contraband goods.
“For as long as they find contrabands, the raids will continue,” Caparas said.
Caparas said BuCor Director Ricardo Cruz is preparing a report on the inmates who yielded prohibited items that would subsequently be submitted to Justice Secretary Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa.
“There is a report being prepared to share with the Secretary,” the DoJ official added.
On Wednesday, Bureau of Correction personnel confiscated various items ranging from drug paraphernalia to gadgets to pornographic materials and P119,000 in cash at the NBP’s maximum security compound.
Meanwhile, NBP Superintendent Richard Schwarzkopf Jr. said additional security measures would also be installed in the national penitentiary.
He, however, admitted that one of the factors aggravating the situation is overcrowding. The maximum security compound was built for 6,000 inmates but now houses more than 15,000.
The national penitentiary was opened in 1940 and originally meant to house 8,400 inmates. Current inmate population is 22,800.
There are 500 prison guards.