3-8-2023 (MANILA) A mass grave containing human remains has been discovered at the maximum security compound of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP), prompting calls for a thorough investigation by the Senate. Senator Francis Tolentino filed Senate Resolution No. 709 earlier this week, proposing that the Senate committee on justice and human rights conduct the inquiry. The panel, which Tolentino chairs, would investigate the discovery of the mass grave during a search for a missing inmate, Michael Angelo Cataroja. The search led authorities to a septic tank located in the maximum security compound where human body parts were found. Cataroja was sentenced to 12 to 20 years in prison for violating the anti-fencing law and has been missing since July 15.
The resolution also cited a July 26 gang fight at the NBP that left one inmate dead and several others injured. Bureau of Corrections (Bucor) records show that as of December 2022, 673 deaths have occurred at the NBP, eight of which were caused by asphyxia, one by gunshot wounds, six by stab wounds, and three by traumatic head injuries.
Senator Tolentino expressed concern over how contraband, such as guns and other weapons, found their way into the hands of inmates and how the bodies of several dead inmates were found in the septic tank without Bucor personnel being aware of it until recently.
The senator believes that a thorough investigation by the Senate would provide answers to these questions.
The NBP has been embroiled in controversy in recent years, with allegations of drug trafficking, sale of illegal drugs, and corruption involving high-ranking officials. The discovery of the mass grave adds to the prison’s already tarnished reputation.
The Senate’s probe into the mass grave and other issues surrounding the NBP will be critical in ensuring that justice is served and that the prison system is reformed to prevent further human rights abuses.
