ShareThisMUNTINLUPA CITY — The arrest of homicide convict and former Batangas governor Antonio Leviste in his building in Makati City while serving prison at the National Bilibid Prisons here has triggered an uproar on the lax rules in jails in the country.
Leviste is serving a 12-year term for homicide at the NBP for shooting dead in 2007 his long-time aide Rafael delas Alas when he was arrested by National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents last May 18 in Makati City.
Leviste
This developed as Leviste’s former wife, Senator Loren Legarda, stressed that there should be no favoritism in the application of laws and Leviste should be penalized if found to have violated the laws.
This as Bureau of Prisons Director Ernesto Diokno, a former Manila Police chief, has been asked to resign to avoid possible backlash on the dwindling popularity of President Arroyo like what happened in the Luneta hostage crisis.
Leviste apparently has been slipping out of the penitentiary for quite sometime, possibly in cahoots with prison officials who maybe getting money or material payment. Other prominent prisoners like murder convict Rolito Go reportedly were also getting special treatment in the penitentiary.
A tipster, a certain “Jun, “ exposed Leviste to ABS-CBN which in turn tapped the National Bureau of Investigation to investigate. NBI agents later arrested Leviste while at the LPL Building, a family-owned building, in Makati City.
The Department of Justice, the agency which has supervision over the National Bilibid Prisons, ordered a thorough investigation to find out how Leviste escaped and who are behind his almost regular living out from the penitentiary.
An initial investigation showed that Leviste escaped without being checked using his private luxury vehicle.
Leviste told the DoJ probers that he tried to get permit to go to his dentist, but said there was no officer on duty to get the permission.
As an offshoot of the investigation into the unauthorized trips of Leviste from the National Bilibid Prisons , Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director Ernesto Diokno has taken his official leave of absence.
In his one-page letter to Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Leila De Lima, Diokno said that his leave of absence will give a free hand to the DOJ Fact-Finding Body to determine the extent of liability among BuCor officers in connection with Leviste’s “living out” privileges.
Diokno said that he is taking leave of absence so that the people will not think that he is influencing the outcome of the investigation.
”Whoever is liable must be made answerable. I shall resume the duties of my position after the investigation is over and the result is known,” Diokno said.
Diokno has recommended Assistant Director Teodora Diaz to oversee the BuCor during his leave of absence and to ensure continuity of his programs.
Diokno assured De Lima and the fact-finding body of his full support and cooperation in the ongoing investigation.
The DOJ chief had created the fact-finding panel chaired by Justice Undersecretary Francisco Baraan III to determine which public officials were criminally or administratively liable for allowing Leviste to leave the prison compound.