FORMER Bureau of Corrections (Bucor) Director General Franklin Bucayu has denied any involvement in illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City.
During the continuation of the House inquiry on drug proliferation in the Bilibid, Bucayu said he never accepted nor asked for a single centavo from drug lords inside the penitentiary.
"I hereby categorically deny that I requested or received monthly payola from drug lords. I never received even a single centavo from them," Bacayu said.
Bilibid inmates who appeared in previous hearings said that Bucayu had received P1.2 million every month from drug lords operating at NBP.
Bacayu told lawmakers that just like the others, he too was surprised to learn the situation inside the state penitentiary when he was assigned there as the Bucor chief during Aquino administration.
"Upon assuming, I was shocked like you...NBP is no longer a prison but a fort controlled by inmates," he said.
But he insisted that the problem persisted long before he held the position.
"This problem persisted long before me...All of this did not happen overnight," he said.
Bucayu also denied the claims of former Criminal Investigation Detection Group (CIDG) chief Benjamin Magalong that he prevented the operation planned by the CIDG and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to raid the Bilibid and isolate the high profile inmates.
"I had no power or authority to prevent it. My only concern about that time was the careful extraction of the high-profile inmates," Bucayu said.
Bucayu revealed that in one of his meetings with Secretary de Lima, he asked her if they should inform Magalong that they will conduct a raid on December 2014.
"Subsequently in one of the meeting, I asked the [de Lima] if we are going to inform CIDG and she said no need," he said.
Bucayu said he is one with the President in the campaign against illegal drugs.
According to him, his efforts to end illegal drug trade in NBP can be proven by his efforts during his stint.
"Volumes of documents can prove my unrelenting effort to battle illegal drugs in NBP," he said.
In the end, Bucayu said his conscience is clear and he was never involved in illegal drug trade inside the penitentiary.
"I have never been involved in illegal drug trade in NBP. My conscience is clear. Nagtatabaho lang po ako," Bucayu said. (Sunnex)
