PH needs ‘world class’ maximum security jail —Pimentel

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III suggested creating a maximum security prison that is modern and "world class" amid plans by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to transfer the national penitentiary to the province.

"If it is a maximum security prison, then let's make it a world class maximum  security prison in the sense that the security features in that prison should be modern," he said during the Senate Justice and Human Rights committee's organizational meeting Wednesday.

"It should contain all the components of a maximum security prison designed in the year 2022. Modernized concept na. Ngayon, since this will be a state of the art maximum security prison, I believe that we should only build one because it would be impractical to regionalize the state-of-the-art maximum security prisons,” Pimentel added.

In the same briefing, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla pushed anew the transfer of the facility to break the "culture" that is marring the correctional system in the country.

"Matindi po ang kultura dito na namamayagpag. Kung hindi po natin ilipat ang mga tao sa isang malayong lugar ay hindi po natin mababasag ang mga problema dito," Remulla said.

The Justice chief made the statement after Senator Robin Padilla asked about the department's plan on the New Bilibid Prison's (NPB) transfer.

Remulla said the department is planning to transfer the minimum security prison in Nueva Ecija, while the medium and maximum security prison in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro.

The DOJ is also considering the creation of six to seven regionalized correctional facilities where some regions will have shared facilities.

In the past 20 years, Remulla said more than 400 inmates have escaped prison because NBP is located near the residential area and main roads.

Remulla said the illegal drug trade is still one of the main problems inside the national penitentiary.

Last month, he said authorities seized illegal drugs which were supposed to be released from the NBP.

Remulla also mentioned the problem of "jumper" or illegal electrical connection in the medium security prison.

He said that there are more than 200 houses which are sourcing their electricity from the correctional facility and the owners of these houses are guards of the NBP.

By transferring the medium and maximum security prisons in Mindoro, Remulla said the persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) could be tasked to farm. This can also help the country in terms of its food supply, he added.

At present, the DOJ chief said there are around 17,000 PDLs in the maximum security area in the NBP which is only designed to house 7,000.

"It's really overpopulated now," Remulla said.

He said the proper implementation of Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) and the single carpeta system in the country's correctional system would help in decongesting the maximum security prison.

"If the GCTA is implemented and we are able to implement the single carpeta system, I believe that the people inside the maximum security prison can be reduced by half already," Remulla said.

According to the DOJ's National Justice Information System, the single carpeta system collects and shares case information into a centralized database for sentence monitoring and management of detainees, PDLs, parolees, and pardonees.

The system also provides vital information on the implementation of treatment and rehabilitation activities in the correctional facility.—LDF, GMA News