Police told members of the House of Representatives on Wednesday that there was no riot at the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) when Chinese drug lord Tony Co was stabbed dead and high-profile convict Jaybee Sebastian was wounded.

Chief Superintendent Francisco Ebreo made the disclosure during the hearing of the justice subcommittee on correctional reforms investigating the stabbing of convicts Co, Sebastian and Peter Co.

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The stabbing were reportedly committed by convicts Clarence Dongail, Edgar Sinco and Tomas Doniña.

Ebreo said the police report showed that “no riot or tumultuous affray occurred.”

Police said two simultaneous stabbing incidents occurred: the first by Dongail on Tony Co inside his makeshift cell, and the second by Doniña against Sebastian at the mess hall.

“What happened were two separate and simultaneous stabbing incidents inside the makeshift room of Tony Co and at the mess hall area,” Ebreo said.

“The incidents were triggered by separate causes and there was no showing that they acted together in a disruptive and tumultuous manner in carrying out a common purpose,” he added.

Negros Oriental Rep. Arnulfo Teves however found it suspicious that officials earlier said it was a riot before the police investigated it and ruled out a riot.

“I sense a little bit of a cover-up by saying right there and then na may riot… Then now I’m surprised to see na wala naman palang riot,” Teves said.

“May naaamoy akong hindi maganda. Ngayon pa lang gusto ko malaman saan nanggaling ang palabas na riot from the start,” he added.

In continuing the presentation of the report, Ebreo said that drugs abound at the Bilibid even under the watch of the Special Action Force (SAF) cops, but maintained that the SAF performed their regular functions who were on duty at the time of the incident.

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He said the following may be liable for the stabbing incidents: Dongail for killing Tony Co and injuring alleged Chinese drug lords Vicente Sy and Peter Co; Sinco for injuring Peter Co; and Doniña for injuring Sebastian.

Ebreo said Dongail went to Tony Co’s makeshift room to reprimand him and his group for having a drug session inside Building 14.

Ebreo said it was Tony Co who first tried to attack Dongail with an icepick, before Dongail grabbed the weapon to defend himself and used it to kill Co.

Meanwhile, Doniña admitted that he was ordered by a a friend from the Navy to kill Sebastian to silence him from testifying against De Lima in the House inquiry on the proliferation of drugs at the Bilibid.

Ebreo said Doniña in his sworn affidavit wanted to kill Sebastian to silence him from testifying against Senator Leila De Lima, who is facing allegations she raised campaign funds from Sebastian’s drug trade inside Bilibid.

“Doniña averred that he took the opportunity to stab Jaybee Sebastian in order to prevent him from testifying in House inquiry,” Ebreo said.

“May kumausap sa kanya na dating kasamahan sa Navy na gawan niya ng paraan mapatahimik at mapatay para hindi siya makapagsalita laban kay Ma’am Leila De Lima sa laban sa droga sa New Bilibid Prison,” he added.

But there was no strong evidence to directly link De Lima in the stabbing incident, Ebreo said.

“There’s no strong links of evidence that the person he mentioned is really involved in the said plan,” he said.

Ebreo said the police was leaving it up to the Bilibid investigation section to file charges against Doniña and the other convicts.

Sebastian is the alleged drug lord of De Lima inside Bilibid supposedly to raise campaign funds for her 2016 senatorial bid. De Lima had denied the allegations.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, whom De Lima accused of fabricating evidence against her, was a no-show in the hearing. CBB

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