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Ex-prison official's alleged abuses being probed: BuCor OIC

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Bianca Dava, ABS-CBN News

<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2338763" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>MANILA—Bureau of Corrections officer-in-charge Gregorio Catapang Jr. said he is investigating reports of alleged abuses committed by a former prisons official against prison personnel and inmates.“May isang anomaly diyan, sabi &#x27;Pinagsasaksak ako, sir.&#x27; &#x27;Di ko na sasabihin sino &#x27;yun,” Catapang told ABS-CBN News on Friday.“Noong hindi siya sinaluduhan, binugbog siya. Buti hindi sila nagbarilan … &#x27;yung isang opisyal,” he added.Over a dozen bodies of deceased persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) are still at the Eastern Funeral Services in Muntinlupa City for nearly a year now.A list obtained by ABS-CBN News from the BuCor showed one of the bodies has been stored here since December last year.From January to October 2022, between 10 and 24 corpses of PDLs are taken to the funeral parlor each month.An additional seven were brought here on the first week of November.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/11/22/bucor-probes-bilibid-tunnel">BuCor probes &#x27;tunnel&#x27; found in Bilibid</a></li></ul>Based on the list, most of the PDLs died allegedly due to acute myocardial infarction or heart attack, pneumonia, and cardiorespiratory arrest or the sudden loss of breathing and heart function.Others died due to alleged cardiovascular accident, while one inmate allegedly took his own life.Until now, a total of 166 cadavers remain unclaimed.A prison reform advocate said the piling up of cadavers of PDLs has long been a problem in the national penitentiary.“Hindi nasosolusyonan. Kahit 2014, dumadalaw na ako sa Bilibid. Sa morgue, andaming nakatiwangwang na bangkay lang, tumigas na nga eh,” said advocate Dr. Raymund Narag.“(Department of Justice) and BuCor should come up with more delineated policies on how to deal with cases of deaths in custody.”According to BuCor protocols, the corpses of inmates left unclaimed by relatives three months after their death should be buried at the NBP cemetery.However, this is not the case for over 100 cadavers.“Dapat within 90 days or the weeks na namatay ang inmate, may magclaim. Kung wala talagang magclaim, we just follow the guidelines of our beloved secretary, ipapa-autopsy. After autopsy, if nobody claims the body, we are releasing the names,” Catapang explained.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/07/22/bantag-faces-raps-over-lapid-villamor-killings">Murder raps filed vs Bantag, BuCor official in Lapid/Villamor killings</a></li></ul>Narag supports the plan of the Department of Justice to have the unclaimed cadavers autopsied.He added, all “deaths under custody must undergo autopsy.”“Kailangan malaman ang cause of death mo kasi kargo ka ng state eh. Kinulong ka nila. It’s a matter of national security na kailangan malaman bakit ka namatay,” Narag said.“Unfortunately, you just have to go with the assessment of the (BuCor) doctors … Hindi siya definitive kasi hindi siya done ng isang expert ng forensics for the cause of death ng inmates … Kung meron mang succeeding deaths na mangyari in custody, kailangan talaga i-autopsy,&quot; he emphasized.Meanwhile, as part of his reforms, Catapang will deploy around 30 K9 units inside the NBP to stop the entry and proliferation of contraband, such as drugs and cellphones, beginning on Monday.

Until now, a total of 166 cadavers remain unclaimed.

Ex-prison official's alleged abuses being probed: BuCor OIC

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Ex-prison official's alleged abuses being probed: BuCor OIC

Bianca Dava,

ABS-CBN News

Published Nov 12, 2022 12:10 AM PHT

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Bureau of Corrections

BuCor

BuCor alleged abuses

PDLs

persons deprived of liberty

Department of Justice

DOJ

Muntinlupa

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