It’s been quite a while that we haven’t updated this site. The real stories and happenings in the past have become an attack to the some bureau officials. Anyways, after the reign of ret. General Vinarao as the Bureau director, Ricardo Dapat took over. But he didn’t last in his post. All that we know is, congressman Jalosjos was released without the knowledge of the palace. When director Dapat was called to explain, he said it was already an order from the DOJ even before he took over, yet DOJ denies it. The papers claimed were from the former director Vinarao, that he just implemented it.

We don’t exactly know the real talks. We just heard so many reactions from the people and the media. Many say that the Palace knows about it, some others say, it’s just between the director, the superintendent and Jalosjos. So, Jalosjos was brought back to the maximum security compound. And the Media rested. The mass was satisfied that he was back to the prison compound.

But guess what? For the past few months, we are not seeing Jalosjos again inside Maximum Security Compound. We were told he was given a “living out” privilege. The bakery that he owns inside the prison compound recently opened outside, at the heart of Katihan Market. During the opening last month, Jalosjos was seen sitting there welcoming well wishers. Well, this is according to people who saw him. But one thing is for sure, he is no longer confined inside the prison compound.

Whether Dapat is a Victim or the culprit, the issue has rested as he was replaced by a new Director, Oscar P. Calderon.

Last June 18, 35 Asian inmates, mostly Chinese Nationals, were transferred to Isolation, a.k.a. Bldg.14. It was said that they are the source of illegal drugs in the Maximum Security Compound.

The question is, how do these illegal drugs got in to the bureau when everybody knows that it is prohibited inside?

Fact is…. the Bureau mafia is the source of it. All the inmates can prove that. The mafia motivates inmates to sell not just drugs, but also live ammunition, short guns, granades, balisong (knives), and even yeast powder for making tuba (wine).  In return, the mafia gives 20% of the sales to the gangs and keep the gang to keep it functioning which benefits both the mafia and the gang.

 
However, mafia can’t get enough money so they’ll just send foreign inmates.  If the isolated inmates wanted to go back to their cells, they need to give out huge amounts of money at least A HUNDRED THOUSAND PESOS to close the deal. 

This is the breakdown of that “dirty money” being collected:

50,000 – Superintendent

50,000 – Officer-in-Charge, Commander of the Guards, Office of the Overseer, Isolation OIC

Acceptable lies will be presented to the Bureau Director because in most cases, the director does know nothing about the real story of why an inmate is being isolated.

Soon, a request for hospitalization of the paying inmate will be processed.  With the inmate being hospitalized for two to four weeks and , he’ll soon be back to Maximum Security Compound without any further question from the bureau or any other straight officials (wish there’s any) noticing it.

Moreover, the paid inmate won’t be able to come back to his original cell or dormitory at the Maximum because it’s been sold out by the gangs.  He needs to buy or rent a new dormitory if he wants (kind of) privacy.

People say that prison guards do this because they’re also members of the pangkat or gangs to serve them protection.  Other say, the prison guards’ salary is not enough for their families that they need to do it to add to their income.  They even collect contributions from the inmates when a guard’s member of the family has a birthday, death anniversary, and burial…. or even for their “drinking sessions”.  Name every occasion and the prisoners can testify.

A Maximum Security Compound inmate from Bataman Gang has stabbed his fellow inmate and gang member for failure to provide him his share of banana from prison supplies this lunch time.

Cruel it might seem but starving people can also kill his fellow.

Some prisoners are panicking over the spreading news about Rtd. Gen. Venarao will be substituted on July 2, 2007. Fearing they (the inmates) might lose their monopoly inside the prison through the Bureau Mafia. All the gang leaders are being paid Ten (10) Grand each to sign a paper attesting that the prison’s catering food is good and enough for each meal when in fact, it’s not.

Each inmate only receives 360grams of rice and 1½ piece of Asuhosa (3inches in length) for the whole day. Nothing else follows. This monopoly is being masterminded by former Congressman Jalosjos through his Lamb of God Foundation which is also the supplier of bread to the prison’s kitchen.

When JTV Villarosa tried to fight for the interest of the governance and good, of course nothing good will happen because of the mafia.

The chief penal superintendnet had handed down a memorandum prohibiting the entrance of groceries to the maximun security compound, they say for security reasons. But i believe , this is to ensure the boom of his IPX store that sells the same. All groceries brought to the inmates by their visitors are not allowed to enter the compound nor were given to the respective inmates.

The thing is, IPX stores do not allow credit. Inmates who cant afford their prices, suffer.

It is a common site at the Gate 4 to see poor wives and relatives of the inmates who are not allowed to visit their locked-up loved ones.  One of the main reasons they’re not allowed to enter for a visit is their not having the Birth Certificate, which is one the the requirements of the Bureau.

For the uninformed who even came from their provinces, they are allowed for a “calling” and a two-minute talk at the Big Gate (Gate 4).  But for those who have money and connection, they can even stay in for two days and a night.

For the visitors, if you don’t have Birth Certificates to present, please don’t forget to bring your “wallet”.

Every Monday morning is for Diabetic patients at the NBP Hospital. All out-patients must fall in line under the heat of the sun for a consultation. An inmate would line up for about 30 minutes to an hour. Upon reaching the doctor, and after consultation, the common lines that an inmate would hear is: “We have no available medicine.“

Good for those who have visitors who have money to buy their own medicines. But how about for us who do not have visitors, and do not have money to buy even a piece of candy? I wonder where the medicines donated by the government and other NGOs go?

As I have witnessed, some inmates roam around inside Maximum Security Compound selling medicines. I call them Walking Pharmacy!

This morning at about 7:45, Arnold, one of the convicts of the Aquino-Galman Case was hit with wood by a prisonguard while the victim was buying a kilo of rice in the market inside Maximum Security compound.

This act of the guard let the inmate to run in a nearyby eatery and scream to the top of his voice for the guard not to kill him because he did nothing wrong. Four prisonguards were running after him. The inmate wasn’t killed though.

Four versus one?  It’s a Mismatch!   I suggest, give the inmate at least two companions with guns and bullets.   I’d bet on the three-men team.

It is my core concern to share my story, in pursuit of any assistance you might give to help my present situation here in the Philippine National Prison. I am a Nigerian from Abatete, Idemili local government area Anambra State. I was trapped here in prison since December 19, 1992.

When I was about to board Thai Airways bound Japan via Thailand on December 19, 1992, I was accused of smuggling two bags containing heroine. The bags are bound to Switzerland via Hongkong with flight number SR177. It happened that my attention was called and was asked about the ownership of the said bags. The police stopped me from boarding my plane. I believe that the real owner of the bag was bound to Switzerland which upon the request of the passenger’s manifest, his name was there. After paying the police, the police did everything to thwart the story and the actual incident. According to them I was also a passenger of Swiss Air Flight Number SR177. But my name was never in the passenger’s manifest of the said flight as accused. They never found any flight ticket of Swiss Air in my possession contrary to their accusation. I was accused by the police with their fabricated story and I was detained. After the investigation of one Captain Morino, he informed me that he has not found any reason to keep me but before he lets me go and recommends me to be deported with the next available flight, I have to pay US$5000 I said, where will I find such an amount after I was robbed of everything in my possession, name it, cash, jewelry and other material things.Even my used brief was taken by the police. How then will i be able to carry excess luggage of more or less 11 kilograms without any cent to pay. No money, no checkbook, was presented in the court during my trial, when I am faced beyond shadow of doubt. Accused of carrying baggage weighing 31 kilogram with economy class ticket where only 20 kilograms is allowed. Luggage of 11 kilograms excess was to be paid. Accused of going to Switzerland via Hong Kong with flight number SR177, without air ticket, without my name in the flight passenger manifest, without a transit or entrance visa that should be found in my passport. While the real owner of the bag was able to pay and was able to buy himself freedom, I got stuck here without hope of seeing my family again. I have been missing them for the past 15 years. My present condition here in the Philippine National Prison is really hard and torturing. This is called the Bureau of Corrections but there was never a measure of correctional beatitude. Once committed here, you will just wait for the hour of your death. For us, this place is called “a graveyard of the living dead”. Every day, prisoners die here. We are more or less twelve thousand two hundred in this place, crowded and starving. Some prisoners would just attack another inmate for them to be killed, as the prison guard would instantly shoot them. The same people (prison guards) are cohorts for the trouble as they earn from supplying deadly weapons such as flip knives, “balisong” and hand guns to the prisoners. We are grouped here with the gang structure. There are twelve gangs in the maximum security compound. With this gang fraction, several incidents have occurred which took innocent lives. Without proper investigation and without the bureau knowing, some prison guards are members of the gangs and have been participating in the outrage and conflicts that involve stabbing and shooting.

Shall I negate the general kitchen system, food for the prisoners are manipulated by the officers concerned. From the real supply, only a few amount will reach each prisoner. amount that is not even enough to sustain their hunger, thus leading to illness. And when they reach the hospital, there is no medication even the free medicines provided for the inmates are corrupted and sold at a cost. All the organization donating goods and medicines are not aware that their donations are corrupted by department officials. The administration is even worse than ever. If you don’t have money to bribe the officers, no attention will be given to your requests, especially if you are a foreigner. We are made to provide our needs by our own selves. Some of us who cannot afford to would end up dead. Then the administration’s so called doctors will manufacture alibis to justify their corruption and negligence. We prisoners have no opportunity to reach the right people with competency and ability to help us out of this trap. They claim that this is a correctional institution but the implementation of prison terms is still very harsh as it was in the beginning. The rules are more than seventy years old and were never ratified to suit the correctional term of imprisonment as to human rights, which was declared in Geneva Convention, which was part of this country’s law in 1987 rules of court, yet never been a part of human treatment in their correctional ethics. In my situation, being here for fifteen yeas wasn’t easy. I lost almost all my family, relatives, friends, worst of all, suffering from a life threatening illness without any medication as I do not have any source of support for my personal needs. I lost my parents seven years ago, and probably due to starvation, since I am the only breadwinner in the family, nobody was left to assist and help them. My wife and kids are nowhere to be found and no trace of them. My writing here is to seek for humanity and to enable me to gain my freedom and belief that one mistake that took more than a third of your life should be forgiven, recalling it as we are all humans. I seek to be extended humanitarian consideration for my freedom. And please send my letter to our president.

Thanks very much and I hope to hear from you. I don’t want to die here, please help me.