Congestion rate as high as over 400%
TACLOBAN CITY – The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) here in the region continues to grapple with severe congestion across most of its jail facilities.
Jail Superintendent Bernardo Sanchez, the regional jail chief, however, stated that measures are being implemented to decongest the 24 facilities under their management.
Among the most congested are the jails in Borongan City and Tacloban City.
The Borongan City jail, designed for just 15 inmates, currently holds 83 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs), resulting in a staggering congestion rate of 453% within its 71 square meter cell area.
Similarly, the Tacloban City jail, intended for 187 inmates, is now accommodating 521 PDLs, leading to a congestion rate of 184% within its 877 square-meter cell area.
“Our PDLs in these congested jails are in a pitiful situation. We cannot provide the full program for their welfare and development due to the lack of space for rehabilitation services,” Sanchez said during a media conference ‘Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas’ on Tuesday, July 30.
Efforts to decongest these facilities include expediting court hearings for potential releases and granting releases through good conduct time allowance, which reduces jail time, the BJMP official said.
Additionally, new and larger facilities are under construction, he added.
For instance, a new jail in Baybay City, set to open in October, will accommodate at least 500 PDLs.
“These new facilities will significantly aid our decongestion campaign,” Sanchez added.
Currently, 1,907 PDLs occupy the 24 jail facilities in the region managed by the BJMP.
Meanwhile, Sanchez expressed hope for an increase in the meal allowance per inmate from P70 to P100.
The current budget allocates P70 per PDL for three meals a day, which Sanchez admitted is insufficient.
This shortfall has prompted interventions such as establishing vegetable gardens within the facilities to help meet the food needs of the inmates.
The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the parent unit of BJMP, previously advocated for an increase in meal allowance to P100 and P30 for medical needs, but this proposal has yet to be acted upon by the Department of Budget and Management.
JOEY A. GABIETA
