6 inmates die in congested Parañaque jail

Six inmates of the Parañaque city jail have died in a period of two weeks allegedly due to poor conditions inside the congested facility, according to a group performing volunteer work.

Reports reaching The STAR said the inmates, identified as Paterno Halayhay, Pepito Payong, both of Cell No. 3; Christopher Castillo, of Cell No. 1; Primo Prado, of Cell Alpha; Jovencio Calagi, of Cell Bravo; and Felipe Bibat, of Cell Charlie, died successively from May 20 until last week.

All were rushed to different hospitals in the city where they reportedly died of stroke.

Officials of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) have confirmed the deaths, but refused to issue statements pending the result of their investigation.

However, members of the Parañaque Prison Mission (Paprim), a volunteer organization, have pointed the finger of blame for the alarming deaths on the congestion and lack of action from BJMP officials.

"We are alarmed by the reported deaths. This has never happened here before. We hope that jail authorities will give more attention and better care to the detainees, who after all are only forced to this extreme situation because they cannot afford to post bail," Paprim said in a statement.

As of latest count, there are 828 inmates housed at the three-story jail facility, which was designed for only 200 prisoners. It is located at the back of City Hall compound.

Just like in other equally congested prison facilities in Metro Manila, inmates of the jail take turns in sleeping and have been dealing with various contagious diseases, Paprim volunteers claimed.

"A case of six deaths in less than two weeks is alarming. But it is not surprising given the congestion and inaction of BJMP officials," the group alleged.

Newly appointed Jail Warden Superintendent Hernan Grande was unavailable for comment when reached by The STAR.

A city BJMP official, who refused to be identified, pointed to the lack of budget as the cause of the congestion in jail facility.

"We simply don’t have enough funds to build new buildings for the growing number of inmates. Of course, we wanted to act but truth is our capacity is limited," the source said.

The officer noted that there has been insufficient support from the local government, which he said may also be facing its own financial problems left by previous administrations.

It was learned that the population of jail inmates has doubled from 2002.

To accommodate the more than 400 additional inmates, the jail could expand the third floor of the building and build more cells at a section formerly used for physical activities.

The jail officer also admitted that the "slow pace of justice system in the country" has contributed greatly to jail congestion.

"It would take months or even years for courts to rule on the simple cases while hundreds of detainees are dumped into our jails," he explained.

Paprim volunteers also lamented the flight of former jail nurses, who, they claimed, have been replaced by workers "not as dedicated and service-oriented."