Group urges Vida to allow aid missions to NBP, release seized amenities

Kapatid, a support group advocating for the welfare and release of political prisoners, has formally requested acting Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida to authorize three scheduled visits to the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City for the delivery of food and humanitarian assistance to persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).

In a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ), the group sought clearance for visits on 22 November, 1 December, and 7 December. The 7 December visit is intended to launch KaPASKUHAN 2025, Kapatid’s annual program aimed at reuniting political prisoners with their families during the Christmas season.

Kapatid spokesperson Fides Lim stressed the severe isolation suffered by many prisoners due to poverty, saying “most families cannot afford the high cost of travel to Muntinlupa,” which has resulted in some prisoners going without visitors for “as long as 10 to 20 years.”

The group also pointed out that the NBP houses the country’s largest number of political prisoners yet remains the “least visited and supported.”

Kapatid is further asking for the DOJ’s help in expediting the clearance process for future aid deliveries. According to the group, delays in written approval from the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) often force volunteers to wait “about four hours,” causing food donations to spoil.

A prisoner reportedly told the group that the boxed meals were “already sour when we received them, but we still ate them.”

In a separate request, Kapatid urged Vida to facilitate the release of basic amenities — two rice cookers and one water dispenser — that have been impounded at the NBP Maximum Security Compound since October 2024. The items were reportedly intended for elderly and sick political prisoners but were held due to “electrical load concerns,” which the group described as impractical since the appliances are meant to “support communal, economical cooking and ensure access to safe drinking water.”