MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice has asked the Bureau of Corrections to fast track the processing of sickly and elderly inmates even before the COVID-19 broke out, said Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra.
A group of 22 prisoners sought temporary release order from the Supreme Court last week, saying that the Philippines may record a staggering number of casualties if the novel coronavirus affects persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) detained in our overcrowded jails.
Related Stories
In a message to reporters, Guevarra said that he has yet to read the petition and withheld his comments.
The Justice chief, however, said that even before the pandemic broke out, “the DOJ had instructed the Bureau of Corrections and the Board of Pardons and Parole to expedite the release of, or grant of executive clemency to, old and sickly and PDLs serving their sentence for humanitarian reasons.”
The Corrections bureau oversees the New Bilibid Prison, Correctional Institution for Women and five other prison and penal farms across the country. BuCor is an attached agency of the DOJ.
Calls for release of the elderly, ailing and vulnerable prisoners from several rights groups and Sen. Leila De Lima continue to mount as COVID-19 infections rise.
In their plea filed before the SC, the inmates said: “Petitioners are praying for a fair chance at surviving the devastating impact of the COVID-19 outbreak in spaces that are not blighted with the overcrowding and lack of access to hygiene measures and medical care.”
Chief Inspector Xavier Solda, BJMP spokesperson, said last week that the bureau supports jail decongestion, but stressed that study should be done to ensure that this will be within laws.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development, for its part, threw its support to Rep. Vicente Veloso’s (Leyte) proposal to create an ad hoc committee to “immediately evaluate the situation of all provincial, city and municipal jails and other detention facilities and to establish guidelines and procedures for the temporary release of qualified [PDLs] for humanitarian reasons.”
HRW: Welcomes support to call from Philippine authorities
The Human Rights Watch for its part said it is encouraging to learn of government agencies’ support to their call for temporary release amid the pandemic.
“It is imperative that the BJMP, the Department of Justice, the Public Attorney’s Office, and the courts expedite this process for the welfare of the tens of thousands of Filipinos crammed in overcrowded jails and detention facilities across the country,” it said in a statement.
HRW stressed that “it is not too late to mitigate the potentially catastrophic impact of the coronavirus on the country’s prison population.” — Kristine Joy Patag