Interior Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla said that the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City remains the number one source of the drug trade in the Philippines.

In a Palace briefing on Tuesday, Remulla said that the problem at the NBP is “systemic.”

“They tried everything, they added further restrictions. But it seems that there is still a systemic problem inside Muntinlupa,” he said.

Remulla noted that even with a different approach, contraband still gets through NBP.

The DILG chief said that changing personnel within the NBP is not the answer, but changing the location where inmates are held.

“You have to change the location, change their availability, change their accessibility, so that communication to the outside world is curtailed. So that’s what we’re doing,” he said.

Remulla said that personnel allegedly involved in the continued drug trade within the NBP are being investigated.

Around 200 high-profile inmates will be transferred to a new secured facility, according to Remulla. These inmates were identified and selected through intercepted communications and intelligence briefings showing they are still active in criminal activities.

Remulla has yet to disclose details about the new facility. He said it is a newly built facility “somewhere in the Philippines.”

Next step

He added that the structure will be “the most secure facility yet built,” and communications will be “totally cut.” The structure will also utilize a different penal system, using more technology.

On Monday, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. met with Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, along with his brother Jonvic, police chief Rommel Marbil, and PDEA Director General Moro Virgilio Lazo, to discuss the government’s anti-drugs campaign.

During the meeting, they discussed the next step in addressing the proliferation of drugs in the country. Remulla said they are now focusing on the supply side, as previously they concentrated on the consumption side.

“For the longest time, we have been concentrating on the consumption side, arresting them on street levels, arresting them for crimes they committed in buy-bust operations. This time, we are going heavy on the supply side, chasing after the big guns, the big suppliers, the main men involved in the importation of drugs,” he said.

Remulla also disclosed that individuals involved in the drug trade now use sophisticated methods such as cryptocurrency and other means of distribution.

Remulla lamented that officials and personnel within the NBP have been “generational,” coming from grandfathers to fathers and now sons.