Zubiri pushes for super maximum penitentiary for heinous criminals

Senate President Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri on Monday renewed his call for the construction of a super-maximum penitentiary for high-profile and convicted heinous criminals.

At a press briefing, Zubiri said he already asked Senator Sonny Angara, chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, to provide funding for the proposed super-maximum penitentiary.

Zubiri said the proposed super-maximum penitentiary will be modeled on the United States' federal supermax, a maximum security prison in which inmates typically spend up to 23 hours a day in solitary confinement with little to no access to natural light.

The Senate chief refused to disclose which area in the country the Justice department is eyeing to build the proposed penitentiary.

"I will not confirm which area because other local officials are going to react about it, they do not like the idea," he explained.

He made the remarks after the National Bureau of Investigation and Philippine National Police filed complaints against suspended Bureau of Corrections chief Gerald Bantag as one of the alleged masterminds behind the murders of journalist Percy Lapid and Crisanto Villamor, the supposed middleman in the case.

Joel Escorial, the self-confessed gunman in the murder case, earlier said Villamor, who is detained at the New Bilibid Prison, ordered the killing of Lapid.

Zubiri said the proposed super-maximum penitentiary will prevent such incidents.

"It's in isolation, that way hindi sila makapagkwentuhan, hindi sila pwedeng mag 'chokaran,' mag-plano," he said.

"Eh ang nangyari meron pala silang grupo, pinaplano nila 'yung pagpatay ng ibang tao sa loob ng kulungan. But that would be prevented now," he added.