The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime led the launching of the “Handbook on Islam in Places of Detention,” highlighting its significance in promoting respect for religious and cultural diversity within the Philippine correctional system. 

The launch was held on Tuesday at Novotel Hotel in Quezon City, Metro Manila.

Various stakeholders and representatives from the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) headed by its Director General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr., Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) Chief, JDir. Ruel S. Rivera, Police General Rommel Francisco Marbil, Sheikh Sabuddin Abdurahim, Secretary, National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF), Richard Palpal-Latoc, chairman of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and Presidential Adviser on Muslim Affairs Almarim Centi Tillah attended the event.

This handbook represents a collaborative effort between Philippine National Police, BuCor, BJMP, NCMF and CHR, an initiative that begun in 2023. 

The handbook is designed to support custodial officers on the front lines of jails, prisons and other places of detention in the Philippines, as well as senior managers and decision-makers within agencies responsible for the custody of persons deprived of liberty.