by Miriam G. Desacada
Tacloban City-The discovery and confiscation of nearly P1.4M cash, cellphones and other contrabands hidden inside the inmates’ cells of the Tacloban City Jail during a greyhound operation on July 29 also exposed the continuing and active illegal activities between the facility and outside sources right under the noses of jail guards and officers.
The Operation Greyhound, a surprise inspection of cells of prisoners, was carried out at dawn by a joint team of personnel from the TCJ and the Tacloban City Police Office (TCPO). It yielded a surprising find, a stack of cash amounting to P1.378 cash kept by the inmates (persons deprived of liberty-PDLs) but believed to be proceeds from the illegal drug trade in and out of the facility.
Other items found and seized were 28 cellphones (items that are usually prohibited on inmates to possess), 10 large jugs of yeast (believed to be ingredient in making shabu), packs of cigarettes, deadly weapons, and pocket wifis.
The confiscated items are now in custody of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology-Region 8 (BJMP-8) as case evidences. TCJ Warden Senior Chief Inspector Gasser Gadong, commented in a press conference that the money is possibly the proceeds of the illegal drug trade accumulated through the years and kept by the PDLs inside their cells.
Police/Major Leonides Sydiongco, chief of the Intelligence Unit of the TCPO that partnered with the TCJ in conducting the greyhound, stated in his report that the entry of drugs and contrabands into the facility is getting worst.
Sydiongco however did not cite negligence, or failure to contain it, on the part of TCJ Warden, Jail Officer/Senior Chief Inspector Gasser Gadong. He commended Gadong instead for implementing the greyhound to address the worsening situation of illegal activities inside the jail.
TCPO Director, P/Colonel Michael Palermo, also cited the warden’s initiative in uncovering the illegal activities. “If the warden did not initiate nor request our help, we in the TCPO could do nothing also. We are happy with the efforts of the warden and we eventually proved that the warden’s suspicion on illegal drug activity inside was true.”
Palemo said: “Cooperation, collaboration and coordination with the BJMP, enabled us to recover the contraband and illegal items. This form part of the anti-illegal drug campaign of the TCPO in the city, and jibes also with the BJMP’s own program.”
“Our purpose (of the greyhound) is to curb the drug trade (at least inside the jail compound). We shall now work harder and examine more the ways of the traders although we have initial knowledge on how the system works in and out of the jail,” said Palermo in Tagalog.
The discovery of the illegal activities, due to the greyhound, will effectively stop the entry of contrabands into the jail. Gadong said he is not taking lightly the exchanges of money and possible connivance between the guards and the PDLs.
He said this is now the subject of a thorough investigation, and whoever will be proven accountable to the illegal activities will face administrative and criminal cases.
However, some PDLs have a different narrative. One allegation, privately relayed to some mediamen, is that Gadong is washing his hands or making gimmicks via the greyhound, to eschew suspicion on his involvement.
“Nobody or no contraband items can get through the gate without permission from some personnel,” the PDLs said also in Tagalog. “We are the PDLs, and the gates are guarded. That’s simple logic.”
Some inmates said every contraband is sold inside and has a price. They alleged that Gadong gets a 20 percent cut for every amount of the sold item.
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Gadong however vehemently denied this allegation, which he said even reached the ears of the media, even before the conduct of the greyhound.
BJMP-8 Regional Director Chief Supt. Delvic Oreiro told the media that this allegation was already investigated. He added that another investigation is also conducted on the recent greyhound that yielded the biggest haul (with millions of cash).
Results of the investigation have yet to be disclosed, but Oriero said that Gadong may not be involved but be held liable for command responsibility.
Oreiro however said that Gadong should not be relieved from his post but the warden should be given recognition for the biggest haul of contraband.
On the other hand, six guards of the TCJ, who requested not to be named, were one in saying that they no longer are favorable of the leadership of Gadong that would only affect their work direly.
They are asking the top leadership of the DILG to give attention to the bad situation in jail, and punish those responsible of the illegal activities that they alleged as being ignored by Oreiro. —Miriam G. Desacada