Heat, overcrowding pose health risks for PDLs in city jails

The extreme heat and overcrowding pose health risks for persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) in the country's city jails, according to Maki Pulido's 24 Oras report on Wednesday.

There are 700 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) crammed inside one building in the Manila City Jail.

The cells and kubol (sheds) have been demolished so they lie next to each other on the floor every evening.

And with the extreme heat, even an industrial fan is not enough to provide much-needed comfort.

“Baka ma high blood ako ng bigla kaya magbabasa ako ng isang galon ayos na para ma preskuhan lang katawan ko,” one detainee said.

(My blood pressure might suddenly shoot up so I just douse myself with a gallon of water to refresh myself.)

“Pinagpapawisan, ‘di makatulog, kailangan maligo ng maligo,” said another.

(We’re always sweating, we can’t sleep so we need to keep on taking baths.)

So far, no one has been getting sick due to the summer heat among the 3,000 PDLs being held in a facility designed for 1,000 people.

Jail Officer 2 Elmar Jacobe said the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) requires PDLs natin to regularly, even to more than twice daily.

Conditions are somewhat better at the Quezon City Jail in Payatas where around a thousand PDLs are in a facility meant for 4,000.

But some electric fans in a number of cells are broken and awaiting repairs.

For the rest of the country, the congestion rate has reached up to 334 percent or triple the designed capacity of city jails.

Under these conditions, infections such as acute gastroenteritis, skin disease, heat rash, fungal infections and conjunctivitis are commonplace during hot climates.

There is not exact number of cases but some PDLs have begun to be afflicted.

In a related development, the BJMP on Wednesday said that PDLs in several jails have contracted sore eyes and pigsa or boils amid the scorching heat currently affecting the country.

To address the situation, Jail Chief Inspector Jayrex Bustinera said the BJMP has procured medicines as early as the first quarter, all jail medical staff have been trained to treat summer-related diseases and ensured that there is adequate water supply.

Despite the overcrowded conditions in many city jails, things have improved according to the BJMP.

This is the result of the bureau’s decongestion plan such as plea bargaining agreements for PDLs with minor offenses that include possession of illegal drugs.

This translates to lighter sentences and early release that will help in freeing up to 70 percent of drug related cases of PDLs inside city jails.

Jail Inspector Jayrex Bustinera said a large portion of the PDL population were arrested for mere possession or use of prohibited drugs, many of whom availed of the early release arrangement.  

One such example is a 72-year old PDL who said he admitted to his crime instead of spending a longer time in the city jail while waiting for his case to be resolved by the court.

“Wala naman akong pera. Aminin ko kaagad para makalaya kaagad,” the man told GMA Integrated News.

(I don’t have any money. I’ll just admit what I did so I can get released early.)—RF, GMA Integrated News