BJMP to grant virtual access to PDLs who won in BSKE 2023

The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) said Sunday it would allow persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) who won in the recently concluded barangay polls to have controlled access to computers and the internet so they could serve their constituents.

“Isa ‘yun sa tinignan natin na bigyan sila ng access virtually kasi ginagawa na natin ‘yan e-dalaw at sa kanilang mga court hearings ay virtually naman po,” BJMP spokesperson Jail Chief Inspector Jayrex Joseph Bustinera said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview.

(These are some of the things we are looking into — providing virtual access is one of these since we are already doing that in the form of e-dalaw or online visits and court hearings.)

“Kapag may proper coordination lang ay kaya namang gawin ng BJMP ‘yun,” he added.

(As long as there is proper coordination, the BJMP can grant it.)

Law enforcement agencies prohibit detainees from using mobile phones and electronic messaging devices to prevent them from continuing their illegal activities.

Three PDLs were elected as barangay kagawads (councilors) in the recent 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE): a detainee at the Tanay Municipal Jail, an inmate in the Dasmariñas City Jail-Male Dormitory, and a person incarcerated in the Cagayan de Oro City Jail-Male Dormitory.

All three individuals are on trial for drug charges.

Bustinera said it was the first time that PDLs were elected to barangay positions.

He added the BJMP was coordinating with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to determine how the elected PDLs would be able to carry out their official roles despite certain restrictions.

“According sa aming legal office, tinanong namin, ay susundan na lang namin ang precedents ng Supreme Court sa mga former senator natin na nakulong dati at nakapag-perform ng kanilang mga trabaho,” the jail chief inspector said.

(According to our legal office, we will just follow the precedents set by the Supreme Court for former senators who were able to perform their official duties while they were imprisoned.)

Bustinera, however, stressed that the elected PDLs would not be given any VIP treatment.

“Kung kailangan nilang lumabas sa kulungan, kailangan pa rin ng utos ng korte o court order. ‘Yung iba namang mga function nila, kung dadalawin sila on official schedule, ay kailangan pa rin makipag-ugnayan sa BJMP. Parang regular na dalaw pa rin,” Bustinera said.

(If they need to leave the place of their detention, they will have to secure a court order. For visits that are a part of their official schedule, they still need to coordinate with the BJMP. These will be treated similar to a regular visit.)

Comelec Chairman George Garcia had said PDLs were allowed to run in the elections as long as there was no final conviction from the courts.

“Pinayagan natin sila makaboto sapagkat sabi po ng Korte Suprema doon sa kaso ng Aguinaldo versus Comelec at saka po [sa Bureau of Corrections], dahil hindi pa sila finally convicted, wala pang final judgment na sila ay guilty, therefore, meron pa silang karapatan bumoto at may karapatang maiboto. ‘Yun po ang kadahilanan kung bakit sila ay nakaboto at nakatakbo,” he said.

(We allowed the PDLs to vote because of the Supreme Court decision on the case of Aguinaldo versus Comelec and the Bureau of Corrections. Since they have not been convicted, there is no final judgment that they are guilty. Therefore, they still have the right to vote and run for office.)

A March 2022 Supreme Court decision ruled inmates were allowed to vote at the local level.

The Comelec Chairman clarified that even though PDLs were allowed to run for elected positions, they were prohibited from leaving their places of confinement. — RF, GMA Integrated News