The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) said Friday, June 23, that it is constructing additional jail facilities in coordination with local government units (LGUs) nationwide to address the bureau’s congestion rate woes.

*(Courtesy of BJMP)

* BJMP spokesperson Chief Inspector Jayrex Bustinera noted that the current BJMP jail congestion rate is at 365 percent, although he pointed out that this was a slight improvement from the 367 percent congestion rate recorded in April 2023. The congestion rate in the BJMP-run facilities reached a record high of 600 percent during the intense anti-illegal drug campaign of the previous Duterte administration. “We are building new jails with assistance from the LGUs that provided lots to increase our facilities and enhance the condition of the PDLs [persons deprived of liberty],’’ Bustinera said in an interview. Aside from the increased number of jail facilities, Bustinera noted that the BJMP has also been making steps to ensure that the cases of the PDLs are being coordinated with the courts. Bustinera explained that the ploy was designed to facilitate the early release of qualified PDLs. Bustinera made the remark after the Commission on Audit (COA) called out the BJMP over the recurring problem on high congestion rate in its jail facilities. A 2022 audit report by COA showed that as of Dec. 31, 2022, a total of 323 out of the 478 detention facilities (67 percent) by BJMP have been “heavily congested,” with congestion rates ranging from 101 to 2,739 percent. Currently, there are 126,387 PDLs packed inside the BJMP jail facilities nationwide but COA said that the "ideal capacity" should only be at 46,702 detainees. In response, Bustinera said that the BJMP acknowledges the report as it will "guide the bureau on how we can further improve our services.’’