EDITORIAL Other penalties
It’s a question that has stumped authorities since drug deals at the national penitentiary became known: how do you deal with incarcerated convicts who run criminal operations outside prison? They can’t be arrested and they can’t be put behind bars. They can’t be kept in solitary confinement forever.
True enough. How about preventing the convicts and their families from benefiting from dirty money? Drug trafficking is covered by anti-money laundering laws. The Bureau of Internal Revenue can also look into the tax payments of relatives of the convicts suspected of running drug operations from the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa. Authorities know who the high-value convicts are; they are segregated from other prisoners at the maximum security facility of the NBP.
These are the same inmates who have enjoyed VIP perks including a sauna and Jacuzzi, a music recording studio, air-conditioned cells, the services of prostitutes, and confinement in private hospitals outside the NBP at the slightest complaint of illness. How these perks became possible has been attributed by President Duterte to corruption fueled by drug money in the previous administration.
How hard is it to curtail the activities of this handful of inmates? Merely limiting their access to communication with the outside world and closely monitoring any visit by relatives or friends should go a long way. But even such measures can be nearly impossible to implement when prison guards and officials look the other way.
Anti-narcotics agents have pointed to the NBP as the control center of the illegal drug trade in Metro Manila and other areas. The inmates widely suspected of involvement have been identified, so authorities should be able to at least minimize the illegal activities. At the same time, authorities should go after the inmates’ suspected cohorts outside prison including coddlers in government through lifestyle checks that may warrant indictments for corruption and money laundering. Authorities can move to freeze or seize assets. There are other ways of penalizing criminals. Putting them behind bars is just one of the punishments.