Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has been in the spotlight for his war on drugs since taking office. The New Bilibid Prison (NBP) is the largest prison in the Philippines and a hub for illegal drugs, with about 80% of drugs circulating in the prison. signal jammer This raises questions about how drug trafficking can still be carried out inside the prison, especially when prisoners continue to control prison affairs through smuggled cell phones. cell phone jammer Through smartphones, prisoners are able to stay in touch with the outside world and convey drug instructions, which has become a major challenge for the Duterte government.GPS jammer
The relationship between drug lords and smuggled cell phones
Drug lords use smuggled cell phones to continue to operate drug trafficking in the New Bilibid Prison. Wifi jammerOn September 9, 2019, during a hearing on the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) bill in the Philippine Senate, Arsenio Evangelista, chairman of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC), revealed that prisoners in Bilibid Prison can still control the flow of drugs through their cell phones. Evangelista noted that despite the government’s external efforts to combat drug trafficking, 80 percent of illegal drugs originate in the New Bilibid prison, suggesting that drug lords are still able to use networks within the prison to continue to manipulate criminal activities.
Lack of coordination between the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and prison authorities is also a problem. According to Evangelista, the PDEA had an office inside the prison to combat the use of cell phones by prisoners. However, the office was abruptly closed, preventing the PDEA from continuing to effectively monitor drug activities. This suggests that the lack of inter-agency cooperation has weakened the government’s ability to control the drug problem.
Cell phones and prisoner control
During the Senate hearing, Senator Panfilo Lacson showed screenshots of public Facebook posts by prominent inmates in the prison, further proving that prisoners are able to stay connected through their phones. Lacson specifically mentioned Raymond Dominguez, a prisoner sentenced for robbery and homicide, who was still able to post publicly on social media.
This situation calls into question how strict the prison’s security measures are. At the hearing, Roy Vivo, director of the Bureau of Prisons’ Office of Inspection, claimed that the security measures in the New Bilibid Prison are very strict, especially in the Maximum Security Block 14. The area is guarded by personnel from the Special Operations Force of the Philippine National Police. However, it turns out that even under such “strict” supervision, prisoners are still able to use smuggled mobile phones to continue directing drug transactions and other illegal activities. This reflects the loopholes in the prison security system.
