SUPREME COURT: CJ HAS NO PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE OF PURPORTED ANOMALIES AT NEW BILIBID PRISON

WE write to clarify a statement mentioned in an article published by The Manila Times on Nov. 23, 2022. The article is titled “Remulla uncovers more scams at NBP” and authored by Franco Jose C. Baroña and William B. Depasupil (www.manilatimes.netl2022111I 23I newsI remulla-uncovers more-scams-at-nbpl1867455) (Article).

The article stated that “Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla on Tuesday said that the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa needs to be closed down because everyone there wants to steal from it” and even attributed [a statement] to the Justice secretary that “even the electricity at the NBP, the national penitentiary, is being ‘stolen’ by jail guards.”

In the third paragraph, the authors wrote that “Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, according to him, provided this information in an email sent to him recently.”The said paragraph made it appear that the Chief Justice had personal knowledge and actual information about the supposed anomalies at the NBP, and which he allegedly shared with the Department of Justice (DoJ).

However, please be informed that on July 29, 2022, the Supreme Court’s Judiciary Public Assistance Section (JPAS) received an email dated July 29, 2022 from a certain Romualdo C. Edralin with the subject, “Prisoners die in New Bilibid Prison at a high rate” (email). Mr. Edralin identified himself as a concerned citizen of Muntinlupa City. The JPAS is a public assistance platform of the Supreme Court which receives formal complaints concerning the judiciary via emails and phone calls. It is manned by the Supreme Court Public Information Office (SC PIO) which in turn is under the Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ).

Nevertheless, since the email pertained to supposed problems at the NBP, the OCJ referred the matter to the DoJ through Undersecretary Brigido J. Dulay in an email dated Aug. 2, 2022. As you very well know, the NBP is under the authority of the DoJ and not the Supreme Court.

Thus and as explained, kindly take note that the chief justice does not have personal knowledge of any purported anomalies at the NBP. The OCJ merely forwarded to the DoJ on Aug. 2, 2022 an email received by the JPAS concerning the NBP.

We hope that this clarifies the matter.

Brian Keith F. Hosaka Assistant Court Administrator and Chief Public Information Officer Supreme Court Public Information Office