BJMP: Jail congestion eases to 322%, remains high

Congestion in the country's district, city, and municipal jail facilities remains high but has eased to 322% from 365% last year, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) reported Friday.

BJMP chief Jail Director Ruel Rivera attributed the decline to the recent release of persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) and the bureau's own efforts to improve jail facilities, despite limited resources.

"Malaki na hong bagay 'yon sapagkat mahigit 8,000 ang lumaya doon sa nasabing datos na binigay namin and meron din po kami 15 na naisaayos at naisagwa na piitan kaya nagluwag ito," Rivera said.

(The decrease in congestion is significant because over 8,000 inmates were freed from the data we provided. Fifteen jail facilities were repaired and built so this contributed to the decongestion.)

In spite of the slight decongestion of jails, Rivera said, the bureau still lacks the manpower to adequately handle the administration and operation of facilities under its supervision.

The bureau currently has 23,000 personnel while another 2,000 are set take their oath as part of the service. However, Rivera said that these would not be enough to meet the requirement of 60,000 in total.

"'Pag tiningnan ho ninyo kulang na kulang po kami, almost half po ang kakulangan. Kaya 'pag nakikita n'yo mga escorting service namin, makikita n'yo isang bus, 10, 15 lang ang nag-e-escort," Rivera said

(We are only able to meet almost half of the manpower requirement. When you look at our escorts, when a bus is deployed, only 10 or 15 escorts are on hand.)

Rivera said the current ratio should be for every one PDL, there should be one team leader and two other personnel to assist.

The BJMP is under the supervision of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), while the BuCor is under the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The BuCor manages the seven national prisons and penal farms in the country, including the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City.

Rivera said the BJMP is now working hand in hand with other agencies and local government units to help bridge the manpower gap, adding that the problem cannot be solved overnight.

"Multisectoral approach po ito, whole of the society, whole of the government approach ang aming ginagawa upang matugunan 'yung kakulangan ng personnel as well as kasikipan sa kulungan," Rivera said.

(We are employing a multisectoral approach—whole of society, whole of government approach—in order to address the gap in manpower as well as the congested jails.) — VDV, GMA Integrated News