A FORMER policeman in Bacolod City was among the inmates injured in a “riot” inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP), where a convicted Chinese drug lord died and three other high profile drug suspect-inmates were injured on Wednesday.
Former Chief Inspector Clarence Dongail sustained minor injuries and was accused of stabbing to death Tony Co during the incident inside the Building 14 of the national penitentiary in Muntinlupa City around 7:30 a.m. Also injured were Vicente Sy, Peter Co, and Jaybee Sebastian.
Dongail, together with two other policemen, had been sentenced to three terms of reclusion perpetua or 120 years each, for the kidnapping and murder of former Pahanocoy village chief Eleuterio Salabas, and maritime instructors Ricardo Suganob and Maximo Lomoljo in August 2003.
The policemen were also sentenced to suffer two indeterminate prison terms of six months as minimum, to two years and four months as maximum, for arbitrary detention. While the three policemen were found guilty, three other accused were acquitted while 18 others are still at-large.
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said inmate Sy and Peter Co are in critical condition, while Sebastian is now in a stable condition.
The Bureau of Corrections (Bucor) is looking into three versions of the stabbing incident in the NBP's building 14.
Bucor spokesperson Sonny del Rosario, in a press conference Wednesday, said initial investigation has revealed there are three different versions of the riot in Bilibid, which involved four high profile inmates, namely, Tony Co, Peter Co, Sy and Sebastian.
The first version, according to him, was from inmate Dongail, who claimed in his testimony that he went to the cell of inmate Tony Co, where inmate Peter and Sy were staying, to call their attention as they were reportedly having pot session.
"Itong si inmate Dongail went to the three at pinagsabin nya 'wag naman ganyan madadamay tayo lahat lalo na pag nalaman ng SAF [Special Action Force] 'yan e.' Tapos umalis na siya sa isang area, pinuntahan siya ni Tony Co. Tony Co hit him, tinamaan siya sa hita, tapos nagrumble na," del Rosario said.
After the incident, Tony, Peter, Sy and Sebastian were rushed to the Muntinlupa hospital but Dongail remained in the NBP as his injury, said del Rosario, was not fatal.
But this version of inmate Dongail was contradicted by another testimony made by inmate Peter Co.
According to NBP prison guard Alfonso, Peter Co told him that after breakfast, Dongail called him to go to the mess hall as the latter wanted to talk. But Co refused to go without Sy.
"Pagkatapos niya (Peter) mag-almusal. Tinawag siya, gusto daw sya makausap ni Clarence at pumunta siya sa mess hall. Sabi niya ayaw niya pumunta mag-isa. Gusto niya kasama si Vicente. Pumunta sila (sa mess hall) tapos dumiretso sa kubol," Alfonso said.
According to Alfonso, Peter Co claimed that Dongail stabbed him, Tony Co and Sy.
Sebastian, on the other hand, told Alfonso that he was stabbed by Tomas Domiña after Dongail, Peter Co and Sy left the mess hall to go to the cell of Tony Co.
"Sinabi niya (Jaybee) na ang sumaksak sa kaniya ay si Tomas Domiña, bago ang pagkakasaksak ay kausap nya si Dongail sa mess hall...Bago ang pananaksak ni Domiña, dumating si Peter Co at Sy (sa mess hall) at dumeretso sa kubol ni Tony Co," Alfonso said.
According to Justice Undersecretary Reynaldo Orceo, the statement of Sebastian and Peter are corroborating.
"Nagco-corroborate ang testimony ni Peter Co and Sebastian...Halos parehas, ang naiba lang talaga ang version ni Clarence," he said.
According to the investigators, there are no signs yet that can link the incident to illegal drugs, contrary to the testimony of Dongail that the three inmates were seen having pot session.
"Wala po kaming nakuhang bagay na mag-uugnay sa droga," Alfonso said.
DOJ said it is considering conducting a drug test in all the inmates inside building 14, which houses high-profile inmates.
The Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) are leading the investigation on the riot.
Sebastian and Peter Co were both named in the drug matrix presented by President Rodrigo Duterte as among convicts inside the Maximum Security Compound of the NBP who still manage to continue illegal drug operations despite incarceration.
The President earlier linked Senator Leila de Lima to these illegal activities inside the NBP, stressing the latter allowed these during her term as DOJ chief. (With reports from Sunnex)
