Personnel from the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) are now securing the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) to assist the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) amid the agency’s effort to purge corrupt prison guards and other personnel.

This was bared by Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, NCRPO chief on Monday after an inspection of the Augmented NCRPO Personnel at BuCor-NBP that will lead to the establishment of the NCR Quad-Intel Force Liaison Office in the NBP.

“NCRPO personnel are now currently securing important areas here at the NBP. This is part of our commitment to help the BuCor based on the request of Director General (Gerald) Bantag,” Eleazar told reporters after the launching of Quad-Intel Force’s Liaison Office at the NBP.

A total of 551 Metro Manila policemen from various mobile forces of the NCRPO were deployed last week to the NBP.

Eleazar also inspected the cops fielded in NBP as guard posts to ensure their efficiency and effectivity.

“Patuloy ang gagawin nating pagtutok dun sa mga pulis na nandito dahil kung ang kagustuhan nga natin ay makatulong, dapat ang mga ito ay hindi ma-tempt tulad sa mga naging problema noong dati dito sa Bureau of Corrections (We will continue to monitor assigned police personnel at the NBP, if we really want to help, they should not be tempted to avoid similar incident that happened before) ,” he said.

Eleazar said the liaison office of the NCR’s Quad-Intel Force seeks to finally end the culture of corruption and stop the operations of convicted drug lords and other syndicates inside the detention facility.

“The liaison office of the Quad-Intel Force at the New Bilibid Prisons will serve as the intelligence command headquarters to facilitate the sharing of information against convicted felons who are allegedly continuously running the operations of drugs syndicates and other criminal groups,” Eleazar said.

He said the liaison office will serve as the eyes and ears of the Quad-Intel Force inside the NBP against drug lords and other convicted felons who head criminal syndicates.

Bantag is currently conducting massive and aggressive reform programs at the NBP which include stripping most of the prison guards inside the BuCor.

Bantag said they are now currently subjecting all NBP personnel to validation. Once the NBP personnel passed the vetting process aimed at getting rid of tainted prison guards, they will undergo retraining program.

This is the reason, according to Bantag, why he sought manpower from NCRPO and BJMP.

“We will be hiring new recruits,” Bantag told reporters, adding that these recruits will fill in the posts that would be vacated soon by prison guards and personnel who fail to pass the vetting process.

Lt. Col. Eugene Villaluz of the military’s Joint Task Force NCR said they are ready to provide the BuCor with manpower and intelligence information against possible operations of drug convicts in Metro Manila.

“We are ready to provide manpower to the BuCor as part of our support to their reform programs,” said Villaluz.

For his part, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Investigation Agent Beltran Lacap Jr. also thanked the return of the PDEA satellite office at the NBP through the Quad-Intel Force Liaison Office.

“Our support are all-out for the Bureau of Corrections,” said Lacap.

The Quad-Intel Force is composed of NCRPO, PDEA-NCR, JTF-NCR and National Bureau of Investigation- NCR.

It was Eleazar who initiated the alliance of four law enforcement agencies in Metro Manila amid criticisms of lack of coordination among them that resulted in the failure of illegal drugs operations.

The Quad-Intel Force will provide the BuCor with information about the criminal group operations that are possibly connected with convicted felons inside the NBP.

“The setting up of Quad-Intel Force liaison office is timely and will serve as a support system on the massive and aggressive reform programs of President (Rodrigo) Duterte, through Director General Bantag, inside the NBP,” said Eleazar.

Eleazar, said it is the first time that intelligence units of various government law enforcement agencies are allowed to set up an office at the NBP for monitoring and intelligence-sharing with the BuCor. (PNA)