MANILA, Philippines — Justice Undersecretary Antonio Kho said the Special Action Force SAF contingent deployed last year to secure the maximum-security compound of the New Bilibid Prison has been replaced.
“SAF already removed, replaced the entire battalion,” with another contingent, said Kho, whose office is tasked to supervise the Bureau of Corrections.
The move came after Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II admitted the resurgence of the narcotics trade in the NBP.
Aguirre has also directed National Bureau of Investigation director Dante Gierran to investigate this and file the appropriate administrative and criminal cases against those responsible for the return of the illicit trade at the jail.
Both the BuCor and NBI are attached agencies of the DOJ.
Aguirre said he will order a probe of SAF personnel who may have been involved in the resurgence of the drug trade.
Kho said he intends to review memorandum of agreement between the BuCor and the Philippine National Police on the SAF deployment to identify “areas of improvement.”