Robredo vows to decongest jails by changing approach to 'drug war'

One way to decongest jail facilities in the country is to amend the dangerous drugs law, aspiring President Vice President Leni Robredo said.

Robredo explained during the Panata sa Bayan: The KBP Presidential Candidates Forum on Friday, Feb. 4, that drug cases contribute to the unresolved congestion in jail facilities in the country, stressing that one way to resolve this is to amend the law, specifically the punishments for drug users and peddlers.

Asked during the townhall segment in the forum on her plans against the country's illegal drugs problem and congestion in jails, Robredo brought up statistics to back her argument on amending the law.

She said that as of June 2017, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) population is at over 41,000 with a congestion rate of 114 percent.

The situation at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) facilities is worse, she said, as jail population reached over 144,000 with a congestion rate of 582 percent and "more than 70 percent of this are drug cases."

"So ano yung kailangan nating gawin? Unang una kailangan i-amend natin yung dangerous drugs law para ayusin natin na meron na siyang designation, ano ba yung gagawin kung ikaw ay drug user, ano ba yung gagawin kung ikaw ay drug dependent, ano ba yung gagawin kung ikaw ay drug pusher (So what do we need to do? First, we need to amend our dangerous drugs law to fix the designation on what to do if you are a drug user, drug dependent, or pusher)," Robredo said.

"Kasi dapat iba iba yung mga penalties na pine-prescribe nito. Paminsan drug user ka lang, nilagay ka sa jail (Because the penalties being prescribed must vary. Sometimes even if you're a drug user, you are put in jail)," the Vice President added.

In her previous interviews, Robredo said if she wins the presidency, the fight against illegal drugs in the Philippines will remain as intense as the current administration’s anti-narcotics campaign but will not be as bloody.

The Presidential aspirant said her approach will be “heavy on prevention and heavy on rehabilitation,” unlike the current administration’s war on drugs approach which is too “heavy on enforcement.”

READ MORE: Robredo vows 'intensive' fight vs. illegal drugs; will focus on prevention, rehab