The Senate would look into the strange deaths and disappearances at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP), where a septic tank was allegedly used as a "mass grave" for missing prisoners.
In an interview, Senator Francis Tolentino stated that the hearing will take place at the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) conference room inside the NBP site in Muntinlupa on August 8.
He said his committee will ask government representatives for further information about the finding of supposed human remains within a septic tank, including the reported decapitated body of prisoner Michael Angelo Cataroja.
The National Bureau of Investigation's forensic specialists has been called in to gather information and identify the remains found in the mega prison's septic tank.
The Senate investigation will focus on the septic tank grave as well as the usage of guns and bladed weapons within Bilibid, the most recent of which was a gang fight on July 26 between the Bahala Na and Batang City Jail gangs that resulted in one inmate's death and nine other injuries.
Furthermore, the instances might still happen despite the Senate's best efforts, but at least they would be seen "in the right perspective," according to Tolentino.
According to Tolentino's resolution, both the convicts and the correctional officials face a security danger as a result of the finding of chopped-up body parts in the prison's sewage tank.
The purpose of the hearing is to "shed light on how these things happened within the BuCor without the people manning it knowing anything about it.
In addition, Tolentino referenced BuCor data that showed 673 fatalities had occurred in Bilibid as of the end of 2022.
Eight people perished through hypoxia: six from stab wounds, three from head injuries, and one from a gunshot.
Benny Abante, a representative for Manila District 6 and the head of the human rights committee in the House of Representatives, encouraged the Department of Budget and Management to visit the site before making a decision about BuCor's budget.
