Plans are afoot to hold a National Jail Decongestion Summit to determine causes of prolonged detention of persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) and address overcrowding in the country’s prison facilities.
Jail congestion in the facilities managed by the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) as of May 2023 ranged from 148 percent in Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Occidental Mindoro to 373 percent in the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City.
BuCor has been addressing the congestion by expediting the release of qualified PDLs either through parole or executive clemency on top of the court-ordered releases.
Published reports stated that there about 180,000 PDLs in the facilities managed by BuCor and in those supervised by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in towns, cities, and provinces.
The plan to hold a summit was disclosed by Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo during his visit to the Pasay City jail last Sunday, Oct. 29, as part of his jail visitations during the National Correctional Consciousness Week held every last week of October.
During his visit, Chief Justice Gesmundo – who also visited the NBP -- underscored the importance of jail visitations by concerned government officials “to determine the actual conditions of the PDLs and the detention facilities, in order to formulate policies that shall enhance jail management and ensure the humane safekeeping of PDLs.”
Gesmundo acknowledged the difficulties faced by PDLs, “particularly the deficiency in facilities and space within the prisons.”
Thus, he disclosed the plan of the Supreme Court (SC) to hold a summit in coordination with the Justice Sector Coordinating Council (JSCC) composed of the SC, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
During the summit, Gesmundo said that the SC, DOJ and DILG “shall collaborate to identify the root causes of prolonged detention in jails, which contribute to prison overcrowding.”
“We aim to establish new policies and initiatives that shall expedite the processing of criminal cases and alleviate jail congestion,” he said.
He assured the PDLs that the SC has been spearheading many initiatives specifically meant to benefit PDLs, such as recommending lower bail amounts for indigent accused individuals and expediting the release of qualified PDLs.
He also said that trial courts nationwide have been directed to prioritize the disposition of criminal cases.
After his encounter with the PDLs in Pasay City, the Chief Justice told them to never lose hope. "May it be freedom or justice that you await, do not lose hope, for the time will come when justice shall arrive, and freedom shall be yours."
During his visit to the Pasay City jail, Gesmundo was accompanied by SC Associate Justice Jose Midas P. Marquez, DOJ Undersecretary Raul T. Vasquez, Pasay City Vice Mayor Waldetrudes S. Del Rosario, Assistant Court Administrator Maria Regina Adoracion Filomena M. Ignacio, Deputy Clerk of Court and Chief Technology Officer Atty. Jed Sherwin G. Uy, and Atty. Antonio Ceasar R. Manila from the Office of the Chief Justice.
The group was welcomed by Judge Racquelen A. Vasquez, executive judge of the Pasay City regional trial court, and Atty. Danny Gapasin, Jr., executive director of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines – Pasay City, Paranaque City, Las Pinas City, Muntinlupa City Chapter.
The JSCC has set up 11 Justice Zones in the country. A Justice Zone is a venue “where key programs relating to the delivery of justice are in place to maximize coordination among the different agency actors to address the perennial issue of delay and the greater problem of accountability.”
The 11 Justice Zones are in Tagaytay City, Quezon City, Cebu City, Davao City, Angeles City, Bacolod City, Naga City, Calamba City, Balanga City, Baguio City, and Zamboanga City.