26 inmates have died in Metro Manila police jails due to overcrowding

More than two dozens of inmates have died due to overcrowding at detention facilities in police stations in Metro Manila since July last year.

"Actually buong Metro Manila ang bilang natin nasa 26 na ang namamatay mula noong July 1, [2016] sa sari-saring sakit na 'yan," National Capital Region Police Office chief Director Oscar Albayalde said during an inspection of jails around the metro on Friday.

Albayalde said that the Taguig City Police Station alone, a total of 18 inmates have died.

In an interview with GMA News, Taguig City police chief Senior Superintendent Allen Ocden said the causes of death of inmates include hypertension and pneumonia.

A report on Balitanghali by Emil Sumangil said that the supposedly 20-inmate cell at the Taguig City Police Station was overcrowded with a total of 84 prisoners.

Ocden said that they have asked the local courts in the city to release commitment orders more often to address the overcrowding of the prisoners at the police station. Commitment orders are needed for the transfer of inmates from police station to city jails.

Manila Police District (MPD) director Senior Superintendent Joel Coronel, meanwhile, said that five inmates have died in detention cells of the Manila Police District's stations in the past six months due to overcrowding.

"May namatay na rin for the past six months brought about by overcrowded talaga," Coronel said, adding that the common cause of deaths of inmates were cardiac arrest, blood infection and tubercolosis.

Coronel said the Manila Health Office has recommended treatment and prescription medicines for inmates.

He said that people from the Manila Health Office and the Manila Social Welfare and Development Office have also conducted inspections at jails around Manila City on instructions of Mayor Joseph Estrada.

The jail inspections were conducted following the Commission on Human Rights' discovery of a secret jail at the MPD Station 1 in Tondo

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/metro/608693/chr-discovers-hidden-cell-with-11-detainees-in-tondo-police-station/story/

Albayalde had ordered the relief of MPD Station 1's commander and all members of the station's Drug Enforcement Unit after the secret jail's discovery. —Rie Takumi/ALG, GMA News