By Chito Chavez
The overcrowding of jail cells in the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) controlled facilities has hounded the agency as the nationwide congestion rate had leap frogged to a whopping 562.87 percent since the Duterte administration’s massive campaign against illegal drugs was enforced.
(photo from Pikul Noorod/ Flickr)
As of June 5, the BJMP recorded that the country composed of 482 districts, city and municipality jails nationwide has a 144,814 total jail population.
Out of this figure, 102,668 or 70.95 percent of persons deprived of liberty (PDL) have drug-related cases.
BJMP spokesman Senior Inspector Xavier Solda said the Manila City Jail recorded the most number of PDLs with 5,573 followed by Cebu City Jail with 5,002 and Quezon City Jail with 3,602.
He noted the top three most congested jails include Navotas City Jail with 929 PDLs and a congestion rate of 3,872 percent followed by Biñan City Jail with 498 PDLs and a congestion rate of 2,770 percent and General Trias City Jail with 379 PDLs and a congestion rate of 2,622 percent.
The rise in congestion rates if primarily due to the government’s relentless illegal drug war, Solda
"Well dapat ang bilang lamang ng mga persons deprived of liberty na nasa facilities ng BJMP, dapat nasa mga 25,000 lang pero sa huling datos na meron tayo, umabot na sa 144,814, 'yan ay kung pagbabasehan natin 4.7 square meter per person na nasa building code," Solda said.
Also, Solda said that the jail population of the country has "gradually increased" as they have recorded a total of 146,147 jail population in January 2018 to 144,614 last June 1.
"Malaki ang naging impact ng plea bargaining sa mga may kaso patungkol sa ilegal na droga, kung titingnan natin ang datos kumpara nung mga nakaraang buwan na hindi pa nagbaba ng desisyon ang Korte Suprema patungkol dito," he added.
Solda added the BJMP has also strengthened its paralegal programs and the granting of Good Conduct Time Allowance to PDL under the agency’s “our care to decongest our jails.