A Church leader has appealed to the government to decongest prison facilities as soon as possible and address the problem of overcrowding amid the sweltering summer heat.
Military Ordinariate of the Philippines Bishop Oscar Jaime Florencio, who also serves as chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-Episcopal Commission on Prison Pastoral Care (ECPPC), called on the government to address the long standing problem of overcrowding in prison cells and to finally decongest the facilities.
In a statement, Bishop Florencio suggested the implementation of existing policies to decongest jails.Including the laws on bail and release on recognizance, the pre-trial release program, and the recent Supreme Court ruling on extending the good conduct time allowance (GCTA) privilege even to those who committed heinous crimes.
“With this, we believe the jails and prison facilities will become less congested hence more habitable,” the prelate said over Radio Veritas.
The Church leader likewise called on concerned agencies to take the necessary measures to expedite the release of persons deprived of liberty who should benefit under the said laws.
Because of the prevailing heat and extreme humidity, Bishop Florencio said its volunteers in the dioceses have been assisting the jail personnel by providing electric and exhaust fans in some jails.
According to records released in 2023, the county has the eleventh highest prison population in the world. From 2015 to 2021, PDLs in jail facilities increased from over 94,000 to about 166,000. Seventy percent of the country’s prison facilities were also reported to be overcrowded.