Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus Crispin "Boying" Remulla (Facebook)

Enterprising jail guards at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City enjoy a 10 to 20 percent cut from the financial support that inmates get from their relatives outside the facility.

This was bared by Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus Crispin "Boying" Remulla Thursday, Aug. 3 during the motu proprio investigation of the House Committee on Public Order and Safety on an alleged missing NBP inmate named Michael Cataroja.

Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan, who had filed bills seeking to reform the correction system, asked Remulla during the panel hearing to describe the prevailing subculture or "coping mechanism" of the prisoners.

Remulla began his answer by informing the panel that each inmate has a rather meager daily food budget of P70.

"Tatlong meals na po ito: almusal, tanghalian, hapunan. P70 a day....tingin ko alam na po natin na kulang na kulang po ito (This is for three meals already: breakfast, lunch, dinner. P70 a day...I think we all know that is not enough)," he said.

To cope with this, the inmates resort to asking for money from outside the national penitentiary, Remulla said.

"Pero ang problema naman, pagdating po sa sustento, ito po ay kina-kangkong pa rin ng mga guwardiya (But the problem is, when it comes to this financial support, the jail guards take a cut from it)," he told the solons.

"Yung GCash system, mayroon pa hong komisyon yung mga guwardiya ng 10 to 20 percent bago ho makarating yung pera sa mga tao (With the GCash system, the guards take a 10 to 20 percent commission before the sent money is given to the person)," Remulla said, referring to the popular, mobile phone-based e-wallet.

"Hirap po talaga ang tao. Kaya ang malnutrition po ang isa sa pinakamalaking problema po rito. Wala hong makain ang mga tao, hirap na hirap sila (The inmates are really mired in poverty. That's why malnutrition is one of the biggest problems here. The inmates don't have anything to eat, it's a difficult existence)," he further said.

Remulla futher described the situation behind bars as "Survival of the fittest, law of the jungle."

He said the inmate population at the congested NBP was over 30,000--six times its intended capacity.

Yamsuan has filed in the current 19th Congress House Bill (HB) No.8672, which seeks the creation of a Department of Corrections and Jail Management (DCJM).

The proposed DCJM will “address the inherent flaws in the country’s correctional system", such as the perennial high congestion rate in jails, limited resources,  poor coordination among government agencies involved in penal management, and the abuse and corruption in the NBP and other penal facilities, the solon said.

“By centralizing the oversight and management of prisons and jails and the rehabilitation of Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) under a single department, the government can achieve greater efficiency and accountability,” said Yamsuan, who filed the bill on Aug. 1.

Under HB No.8672, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), which is currently under the DOJ; the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) of the Department of the Interior and Local (DILG); the correctional and jail services of the provincial governments; the Board of Pardons and Parole (BPP); and the Parole and Probation Administration (PPA) will be placed under the DCJM.