Forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun flagged on Wednesday, 20 August, the number of tuberculosis (TB)-related deaths inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa.

"We're seeing these deaths in jails," Fortun told members of the media during the handover ceremony of mortuary equipment for autopsy and medical forensic to the University of the Philippines (UP) Manila by Japan and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

"Where are the diagnostics and therapeutics? Is there even any? Or we just leave them there? We forget about them as humans with rights," she added.

Data from the Bureau of Corrections show that there had been 4,636 recorded PDL deaths nationwide from January 2020 to June 2024 alone—a mortality rate over 2.5 times higher than in the general population.

However, most of these deaths were attributed to "natural causes," without independent forensic verification.

The lack of scrutiny has raised long-standing concerns about neglect, foul play, and the caliber of health safeguards in detention facilities in the country.

In 2024, the Department of Justice announced that all persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) who pass away inside the NBP will now immediately undergo autopsy at UP Manila.

This followed the discovery of several bodies of PDLs piled up inside a funeral home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Fortun, the NBP has so far turned over nearly 200 cases to UP Manila.

New equipment

UP Manila received forensic pathology equipment from the Japanese Government and the UNODC in a bid to improve investigations of custodial deaths in the country.

The donated equipment includes one mortuary refrigerator, one body weighing scale, and one body cart, which are expected to boost the storage conditions of bodies subject to autopsy and help safeguard forensic autopsy evidence.

Last year, UP Manila, UNODC, and the DOJ signed a Declaration of Cooperation to Strengthen Procedures to probe Custodial Deaths of PDLs.

The document acknowledges the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners. This covers the general management of PDLs, ensuring adherence to international standards and protocols, including their protection against inhuman treatment or punishment.

'Pathetic situation'

Although the equipment the Japanese Government and the UNODC turned over was "very, very basic," Fortun said it is already an improvement compared to how autopsies were done before, which she described as a "pathetic situation."

Fortun said that before, they used to just eyeball or estimate the weight of the bodies.

"With the new body weight scale, we can actually document the actual weight. And also the traditional two-body ref. It augments our present two-body ref. So we now have a full body capacity," she explained.

And since Filipinos usually have small bodies and statures, they can now actually increase it to eight-body ref.

"That's the name of the game in the Philippines. Especially at the University of the Philippines. You make do with what you got, and we're good at that," Fortun said.

"This is part of a huge thing. But I'm not sure how much of this I will see. I am nearing retirement," the forensic expert added, who began her training as a forensic pathologist in 1995.

Fortun is one of only two forensic pathologists in the country, the other being Dr. Ma Cecilia Lim.