BJMP: PHL jails congested by over 500%; 8 of 10 detainees are drug suspects

The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) on Wednesday said that the country has a nationwide congestion rate of 562.87 percent nearly two years since President Rodrigo Duterte's administration has carried out its campaign against illegal drugs.

BJMP spokesperson Senior Inspector Xavier Solda said that as of Tuesday, June 5, the country which has 482 district, city and municipality jails nationwide has a 144,814 total jail population. Of this number, 102,668 or 70.95 percent of persons deprived of liberty have drug-related cases.

The Manila City Jail posted the highest number of PDLs with 5,573 followed by Cebu City Jail with 5,002 and Quezon City Jail with 3,602.

The top 3 most congested jails, meanwhile, include Navotas City Jail with 929 PDLs and a congestion rate of 3,872 percent followed by Biñan City Jail with 498 PDLs and a congestion rate of 2,770 percent and lastly, General Trias City Jail with 379 PDLs and a congestion rate of 2,622 percent.

"Well dapat ang bilang lamang ng mga persons deprived of liberty na nasa facilities ng BJMP, dapat nasa mga 25,000 lang pero sa huling datos na meron tayo, umabot na sa 144,814, 'yan ay kung pagbabasehan natin 4.7 square meter per person na nasa building code," Solda said in a press briefing.

Despite this, Solda said that the jail population of the country has "gradually increased" as they have recorded a total of 146,147 jail population in January 2018 to 144,614 last June 1.

"Malaki ang naging impact ng plea bargaining sa mga may kaso patungkol sa ilegal na droga, kung titingnan natin ang datos kumpara nung mga nakaraang buwan na hindi pa nagbaba ng desisyon ang Korte Suprema patungkol dito," he said.

"We also strengthened the paralegal programs and the granting of Good Conduct Time Allowance to persons deprived of liberty under our care to decongest our jails," he added. —NB, GMA News