Hints at increasing salaries of BJMP personnel in his third year in office
(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday he would institute reforms in the country’s penal system as soon as the situation in Marawi was over, and even hinted at increasing the salaries of Bureau of Jail Management and Penology personnel on the third year of his administration.
Duterte was particularly irked at the situation in the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa, where he indirectly admitted the drug trade–which had been suppressed in his first months of office– was again in its initial stages.
“Nag-iisip ako kagabi kung..yung barko na tatlo siguro…bilhin ko nalang…ilipat ko nalang (NBP) dyan. Tapos guyurin ko diyan sa gitna ng Peru at Pilipinas, butasan ko. P***** i** kayo. Ba-bye. Iwanan ko sila ng salbabida pero butasan ko rin,” he joked, to applause from the audience, who were mostly members of the BJMP.
On a more serious note, he said there was a need to “cut off” several convicts in the national penitentiary “from the rest of the world,” to ensure that they would not be able to communicate with their contacts outside the prison, thereby allowing their drug business to flourish.
He said this was to protect the innocent humans, who could be affected by the “inhuman” acts of the “hardened criminals.”
“I have to protect the humans before I can even think of doing what for the inhuman. Iyan ang totoo. Huwag mo parisin ang utak ng lahat. For example ISIS, Abu Sayyaf, ipareho ko sa biktima nila?” he said.
He said he would “institute” the reforms once Marawi was rebuilt.
“Kayo sa trabaho, I will take care of you. May nakita na kasi akong pera pero nirereserba ko…In the third year, kayo naman pakialaman ko. On the third year, you’ll have your..unahin ko muna itong pulis,” he said, hinting at possible increases in the salaries of the BJMP personnel, who immediately greeted the President’s pronouncement with applause.