Senator Ralph Recto said Tuesday the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) could simply present pictures of the remains of inmates who were reportedly died of COVID-19 to address different suspicions.
“The proof of death is a photo of the body. If there is, then doubts will be laid to rest,” Recto said in a statement.
He noted BuCor does not need to show the photos to the public.
“Simply show it to the Justice Secretary, and if he says that he had seen it, and swears that it is true, then we’ll take his word for it,” he said.
“Kung mayroong CCTV footage of the body being brought out, the better. And why should there be none? A prison without surveillance cameras is like one without locks,” he added.
Recto stressed out that if taking pictures of inmates before they enter National Bilibid Prison is part of the agency’s standard operating procedures, they also should have photos when they exit the prison, whether dead or alive.
Medical records and death certificates would be substantial evidence, too, the senator added.
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon warned BuCor Monday that using the Data Privacy Act to reveal the information on the inmates’ death could be dangerous.
“I am afraid it can be used to make prisoners disappear, cover-up extra-judicial killings, and even to fake death,” he said.
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BuCor chief Gerald Bantag said he it was frustrating that other officials were suspicious of the inmates’ death, particularly the high-profile ones.
“Itong matataas na tao, nagsasalita ng mga ganyan ay huwag naman sanang bigyan ng pagdududa ‘yung mga publiko. Hindi naman ito basta-bastang kaso,” Bantag said.
(These high-ranking people, who speak like that, they should not give the public any doubt. This is not just a simple case.)
“Dapat nagtitiwala sila sa inilagay na tauhan ng gobyerno,” he added.
(They should trust the people from the government.)
Drilon, however, said the burden of showing proof lies on the BuCor.
“Given the anomalies in the BuCor unearthed in the Senate hearings, we cannot help but suspect that faking deaths of prisoners can happen,” he said in a message to reporters.
“The burden is on BuCor to present proof of regularity in the performance of its functions,” he added.
