Bilibid chief denies inmates charged for water amid pump repairs

New Bilibid Prison (NBP) Superintendent Gary Garcia has denied allegations that inmates have been left without water for two weeks and are being forced to pay for their water supply.

Garcia acknowledged that the prison's water pumps are undergoing repairs but maintained that the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) has arranged alternative water deliveries through Maynilad and BuCor fire trucks to address the shortage.

He stressed that all water distributed to persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) is provided free of charge, with BuCor shouldering the expenses.

“I held a dialogue with the PDLs yesterday, and they explicitly confirmed that the water supplied by Maynilad and delivered by BuCor fire trucks is completely free of charge,” Garcia said.

The prison superintendent also dismissed the allegations as a "demolition job," claiming they were intended to discredit him following intensified contraband searches, locally known as galugad, at the prison's Reception and Diagnostic Center.

BuCor said repairs to the facility's water pumps are ongoing while emergency water deliveries continue.