SC, DILG, BJMP slate National Jail Decongestion Summit

Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos on Monday said he is confident that the perennial problem of overcrowding of jails throughout the country will soon be addressed once the National Jail Decongestion Summit pushes through.

Abalos made the announcement after the planned summit cropped up following Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo's recent visit to Pasay City Jail, in conjunction with the celebration of the National Correctional Consciousness Week last 29 October.

Gesmundo said the summit will be participated in by major stakeholders and players led by the SC, the DILG, and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).

Abalos described the summit as a significant step towards addressing the persistent issue of jail congestion in the country.

The BJMP is an attached agency of the DILG.

He also sees it as a promising opportunity for all stakeholders to come together and chart a course towards more effective, humane, and equitable incarceration practices, that could lead to meaningful and lasting reforms.

"Our department sincerely appreciates the Supreme Court's commitment to helping us address and reform the conditions of persons deprived of liberty (PDLs)," Abalos said in a statement.

"It is a significant move towards achieving a fair and just criminal justice system. The DILG stands ready to collaborate and contribute to this important initiative," he added.

BJMP Director Ruel Rivera for his part emphasized the urgency of addressing jail congestion noting his agency's continuing efforts to address the situation.

"In 2018, our facilities were operating at an alarming congestion rate of 600%, posing serious challenges to the well-being and reformation of PDL," Rivera said.

"Today, we are proud to report that we have successfully reduced the congestion rate to 351% in 2023, thanks to various innovative programs and collaborations," he added.

The ongoing initiatives by the BJMP include the establishment of additional jail facilities, the enhancement of the PDL Welfare and Development Program, and the enhancement of Jail Paralegal Programs that assist inmates in the speedy disposition of their cases.

Meanwhile, the BJMP said it is not going to extend preferential treatment to three detainees who won in the recent barangay elections.

BJMP spokesman Chief Inspector Jayrex Bustinera nevertheless said the bureau will allow the three to perform their job while in detention.

The three detainees won as barangay kagawad (councilors) in Dasmariñas City in Cavite; Tanay town in Rizal; and Cagayan de Oro City in Misamis Orienal.

"There will be no change (in their treatment), there will be no VIP treatment that will be extended to them," said Bustinera of the winning candidates in a radio interview.

The Supreme Court, in a decision issued in August last year, has allowed PDLs to participate in the elections, specifically those who are yet to be convicted by final judgment.

Bustinera said a court order will still be required if the barangay officials need to go out of their detention cells to perform their duties and responsibilities as barangay officials.

He said the bureau has already coordinated with the Commission on Elections to clarify how these officials can perform their jobs while in detention.

"While waiting, according to our legal office, we are going to follow precedence from the Supreme Court on former senators who were detained and were allowed to perform their jobs," said Bustinera.

Asked if the councilors will be given access to the internet, phones, and computers to perform their duties, Bustinera said: "That's one of the things we are looking into."

He noted that PDLs are already enjoying the privilege of e-dalaw or electronic visitation. He said some inmates are also attending the hearing of their cases virtually.

"If there is proper coordination, that can be one by the BJMP," said Bustinera.

Bustinera said any visit to these officials will have to be coordinated with the BJMP, just like with the other PDLs.

"They are going to be regular visits," he said.

Abalos on Sunday reminded all newly-proclaimed barangay officials to demonstrate the necessary qualities of a good leader in the exercise of their functions.

"Leadership is not about power. Leadership is about responsibility. It is about service to the public," he said in a statement..

Abalos said that the country needs at this time are leaders who have vision and integrity and who can inspire and unite their communities.

"We need each of you to be a leader who has integrity, who has vision, and one who inspires and unites the community," Abalos stressed.

He also pointed out that the Philippines is the only country in the world that implements a barangay system, which plays an indispensable role in delivering efficient governance and delivery of basic services at the grassroots level.

Abalos also outlined some of the primary tasks that the incoming barangay officials should focus on during their term.

They include nutrition and health services for mothers and their children, accessible education, and full support for DILG's ongoing holistic anti-illegal drugs campaign, the Buhay Ingatan, Droga'y Ayawan (BIDA) program.