Bilibid riot: Jaybee Sebastian, 2 high-profile inmates hurt; 1 dead
In this July 2016 composite photo, Bilibid inmates Jaybee Sebastian and Peter Co faced Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald Dela Rosa. PNP PIO/Released
MANILA, Philippines (UPDATE 1 10 a.m.) — One high-profile inmate on Wednesday morning passed away in a stabbing incident inside Building 14 of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP), Muntinlupa City.
According to radio reports, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II confirmed the death of one inmate, Tony Co, while three other inmates, Jaybee Sebastian, Peter Co and Vicente Sy were hurt from the riot. They were rushed to the Medical Center ng Muntinlupa. Reports said Sebastian was stable.
Meanwhile, there were varying reports on drug lord Peter’s condition with some saying he is 50/50 while others claim he is stable.
Initial reports from Aguirre said the riot started around 7:40 a.m. when Peter, Tony and Sy were caught using shabu. They were then reprimanded by another inmate Major Dungael.
“Sinaway ni Major Dungael at sinabing ‘wag nyo gawin yan lahat tayo mapapasama,” the Justice secretary said, adding that the three inmates felt bad and complained to Sebastian resulting in the riot.
Sebastian, was also invited to the House Committee on Justice probe into the proliferation of drugs inside the NBP. Aguirre said Sebastian is still a key witness to the alleged NBP drug trade despite his earlier statement that the latter no longer needs to testify.
“Hindi maganda para sa gobyerno na mamatay si Jaybee Sebastian dahil siya ay inaasahan na mag-spill ng beans tungkol kay De Lima,” Aguirre said.
Sebastian and Peter were recently implicated in the drug war of President Rodrigo Duterte. Sebastian was allegedly a favored inmate who is in cahoots with former Justice secretary now Sen. Leila De Lima.
On the other hand, Peter was mentioned by Duterte as one of the drug lords who continued to direct illegal drug operations from behind bars. Duterte said Peter is a drug triad member operating in Luzon and Metro Manila.
Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr., who the president named for involvement in the narcotics trade, tagged Peter as his son Kerwin Espinosa Jr.’s source of drugs. (philstar.com)
