Since the start of the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country in March, 1,501 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs), including elderly, those with underlying health conditions and pregnant women, were released from detention facilities under the Bureau of the Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).
Jail Director Allan Iral apprised the House Committee on Appropriations, chaired by ACT-CIS partylist Rep. Eric Go Yap that of the total number, 560 are elderly, 909 are sick, and 32 are pregnant.
“Simula na magkaroon tayo ng pandemic, may narelease na po tayong vulnerable PDLs, ito po 'yung mga elderly, may mga maysakit ,at mga buntis (Since the start of the pandemic, we have released vulnerable PDLs, these are the elderly, those who are sick, and pregnant) ,” he said during the House panel’s hearing on the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) proposed P244.30 billion budget for 2021."Total, Mr Chair, 1,501 'yung napalabas natin in this time of pandemic (We have released 1,501 in this time of pandemic),” he said.
Bayan Muna partylist Rep. Ferdinand Gaite scored the low number of PDLs released during this time of pandemic, saying that it is “very small” compared to the BJMP’s recommended number of 3,300 PDLs that have to be released.
Upon Gaite’s query, Iral also disclosed that around 1,151 PDLs have caught the disease, 918 of who have recovered, while 15 died.
“Mayroon na lang po tayong active cases na 175, so malaki po ang recovery rate natin sa PDLs, almost 80-percent 'yung recovery rate ng PDL,” he said.
He said those PDLs who have tested positive for COVID-19 have been put in Ligtas COVID centers located in Quezon City and in Regions IV-A (CALABARZON), III (Central Luzon), VII (Central Visayas) and IX (Zamboanga Peninsula).Iral said the BJMP has 14 doctors and 1,092 nurses nationwide. He admitted that their medical personnel is not enough to attend to the medical needs of the PDLs.
He said they sought the assistance of the Department of Health (DOH) to augment their medical staff in various jails in the country.
Iral assured the lawmakers that the congestion in the country’s jails is being addressed with the continued construction of new detention facilities, which has been allocated almost P7 billion.
He said currently, the Philippines has 335-percent average congestion rate for prisons, jails, and other detention facilities.“Pag natapos po ang mga naka-program na construction nationwide, baka bababa po ito next year, assuming na hindi an po tatataas ang jail population ay aabot na lang po 114 percent,so malaking kabawasan ang pagpapagawa ng jail facilities (Once the programmed construction is completed nationwide, this might be reduced next year, assuming that the jail population will not increase, it will likely reach 114 percent, so the reduced congestion rate is attributed to the construction of jail facilities),” the BJMP chief said.