Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Tuesday showed congressmen a documentary on how ruthless prison gangs exerted control over the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) during the previous administration.
"We are presenting this to show what kind of Bilibid we had before the SAF troopers took over last July 20," Aguirre said at a hearing on the alleged proliferation of drugs inside the prison.
Titled "Inside the Gangster's code," the 2013 documentary by Discovery Channel shows host Lou Ferrante's encounter with convict Jaybee Sebastian, a gang leader in NBP.
At Sebastian's luxurious office, Ferrante was shown photos of the inmate with former President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, former Justice Secretary and now Senator Leila de Lima and former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Rafael Ragos.
The incredulous host remarked that American officials would lose their job if they are seen fraternizing with a gang member.
In reply, Sebastian said cryptically: "I think they (officials) need the leadership of the gang."
Sebastian also confirmed that the gangs had stashes of weapons, saying "I wish I could show it to you... You won't believe it."
The documentary is also peppered with accounts into the violent riots of the gangs at the country's largest detention facility.
Watch the documentary here.
ANC, ANC Top, Discovery Channel, documentary, NBP, House probe, New Bilibid Prisons, Leila de Lima, drugs, drug lords, Reynaldo Umali, Vitaliano Aguirre