The privilege of being privileged

By Alfredo C. Garvida, Jr.

Contributor

It defies reason to suppose that the Bureau of Corrections officials were not aware of the unbridled privileges enjoyed by privileged people at the New Bilibid Prison for quite some time before that dramatic raid conducted by Justice Sec. Leila De Lima was made two weeks ago on this most corrupt penal institution in our country. To have state of the art musical and sports tools brought in and installed as permanent fixtures in the compound for the benefit of those highly influential criminals in there, complete with air-conditioning units, sex toys, drugs, high-powered firearms and millions of cash proceeding from unabated drug transactions ongoing within and without this penal enclave just flattens the civility of people's mind as to why even in  prison, these people are still enjoying the perks of their criminal calling under the very noses of government personnel empowered by law to supervise their rehabilitation—and service of their penalty as well.

Why the government only did this massive shakedown at this time is a question that must be answered forthrightly by the Justice Department given that these nefarious activities and unconscionable privileges enjoyed by privileged prisoners inside have been an open secret to everyone having access to this prison compound. Justice De Lima cannot plead prior obliviousness to these activities without being dubbed as untruthful to her words. The scandalous episodes involving Rolito Go, former Batangas governor Leviste and lately that convicted drug lord having had the time of his life "resting" in a hospital suite complete with a blatant privilege to entertain women therein should have at least been a raised red flag for the good Justice secretary to give substantive focus on the internal operations of this penitentiary complex.

What is so alarming is how high-powered firearms, some registered in the name of powerful politicians outside, and voluminous drugs could be smuggled into the compound without the connivance of prison officials. It would be the height of idiocy to even suggest that these prison officials were not in cahoots with these privileged prisoners; for what is that stack of cash found in the raid—millions in amount—doing in there were not to bribe people for these "chosen" prisoners' privileges? 

People say that imprisonment's object is to rehabilitate the criminal. I agree! But restitution and retribution should go along with it, lest justice is lost. Affording imprisoned criminals the privilege to live a majestic life inside the penitentiary transcends a citizen's walk-in-the-park privilege: a diametric reversal of retribution—repugnant to what a civil society is all about. 

There is serious doubt if our penology system will ever be fixed: because people in the system are so corrupt—as are those in other government branches, parts and institutions. The De Lima shakedown, in this writer's opinion, was a necessary action to take by the government as the stench of its permissiveness on these scandalous going-ons at this penitentiary had reached a level they could no longer control. 

It is important that no one accountable to these abuses at the New Bilibid Prison should be left unpunished. These abuses were a direct assault to the norms of decency and the law. This is a test case of justice that President Aquino must account to the people--beyond any shred of doubt-- before he steps down from his office. Justice applies equally to all. Let us see if this old dictum also applies to those privileged inmates at the Muntinlupa penitentiary under Aquino's watch.