The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) prison pastoral care ministry has cited the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology’s (BJMP) initiative to connect persons deprived of liberty (PDL) to their loved ones through the electronic dalaw system.
Gerry Bernabe, national coordinator of the commission, cited the importance of communication between the PDL and their families amid the pandemic. Bernabe said communication is very important given the culture of Filipinos especially during times of intense hardships.
“This initiative by the BJMP to set up an e-dalaw system is very commendable. We know that it is essential to keep the communication lines open between the prisoners and their families,” Bernabe said over Radio Veritas.
“This will also help the PDL while awaiting the decision on their pending cases,” he added.
Bernabe urged the government to “allocate more funds to the BJMP to enable all prison cells in the country to be internet compliant and to replicate the e-dalaw not only in the BJMP but also even at the Bureau of Corrections.”
Bernabe said the system may be considered as part of the new normal among PDL and their families who cannot see each other as often as visits to prison cells had been severely limited to help prevent the further spread of the virus.
Meanwhile, the CBCP’s prison ministry in partnership with jail chaplains of the BJMP continues to provide spiritual assistance to persons in jail. Records show, more than 200,000 persons are jailed in the country’s 900 prison cells.