CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology wants to empower persons deprived of liberty in the region, since, it said they have yet to be proven guilty.

In a statement, BJMP Regional spokesperson Jail Senior Inspector Mark Gerald Bautista said they are implementing Covid-19 management and development programs to protect the PDLs and their personnel against Covid-19.

"As a result, we currently have zero Covid-19 cases because of the strict management of the disease inside our jails and among our personnel in the field," he said.

The agency is also intensifying Covid-19 vaccination inside the jails, especially the administration of first and second booster shots, with about 99.93 percent of the PDLs, and 99.29 percent of its personnel already getting the jabs.

Bautista added that they are tying up with Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and local government units to provide skills enhancement programs suited to the needs and capacity of the PDLs.

"Out of these skills enhancement programs, we are creating livelihood programs. The PDLs will be making products, and BJMP will market these to generate income for them. This is a very good start as they are given something to do, and they will have money because of the skills they learned," he said.

He said that they have partnered with the Department of Education to provide elementary, secondary and junior high school education to the PDLs through the Alternative Learning System.