(Eagle News) — Senator Leila de Lima on Monday, April 23, urged the Senate justice and human rights committee anew to act on her resolutions aimed at addressing “congestion and poor living conditions” inside jails and penitentiaries across the country.
De Lima reiterated the statement following the release of records from the Philippine National Police (PNP) that showed that most regional police offices have congested detention facilities.
De Lima’s statement also comes days after an inmate at the Pasay City Police’s detention unit died, and several others collapsed allegedly due to extreme heat made worse by the limited space they had in the cells.
“Proper investigations in aid of legislation should push through to come up with a solution on how to decongest and improve the worsening state of detention facilities in the country,” De Lima said.
She said in particular, Senate Resolution No. 97, which she filed in August 2016, aims to look at the “current states of jails and penitentiaries, while Senate Resolution No. 590 seeks for an investigation into the alleged failure of the Bureau of Jail and Management and Penology (BJMP) to complete jail facility projects.
She said in September 2016, she already sent a formal communication to Sen. Richard Gordon, who chairs the panel, asking him to give priority to Senate Resolution No. 97, “but to no avail.”
“There is an urgent need to address the issues on jail congestion to avoid several problems that can arise from it, such as illness and poor hygiene among inmates, substandard sleeping accommodation, lack of food provision…I keep saying also that jail congestion is the root cause of prison-based criminality,” she said.
According to the PNP’s Human Rights Affairs Office report, as of March 31, the Calabarzon Police Regional Office (PRO-4A) had the highest congestion rate, at 45.35 percent.
The report said 78 of the PRO-4A’s 172 custodial centers were considered overcrowded.
