QUEZON CITY (PIA) — Recognizing the rights of detainees, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) committed to fast-track the process of jail decongestion by constructing bigger and better facilities.
Speaking before reporters, Jail Supt. Jayrex Bustinera, in his capacity as bureau spokesperson, expressed the belief that the bad stigma on BJMP-supervised jail facilities would soon be a thing of the past amid an aggressive government approach, one of which includes releasing persons deprived of liberty (PDL) by virtue of court dismissal of cases, good conduct time allowance (GCTA), and other systems in place.
“May mga MOA (Memorandum of Agreement) na tayo with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, the Philippine Association of Law Schools, and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines para sa pagtugon sa mga paralegal programs.”
Insofar as jail capacity, the BJMP mouthpiece reported on recent infrastructure developments that would “somehow alleviate safety and crowding concerns,” for which he particularly mentioned the new Quezon City Jail.
“Sa atin namang infrastructure development, nakapagpatayo po ang BJMP recently ng anim na isolation facilities, perimeter fences, tatlong ongoing expansion projects. In fact, nung pinag-uusapan kung saan ikukulong si Pastor Apollo Quiboloy and his co-accused, maraming nagulat… napakaganda na pala ng Quezon City Jail.”
“Marami pa po tayong bagong tayong facilities katulad nung nasa Davao, may itinatayo rin tayo sa Zamboanga, bagong tayo sa Cebu at iba’t ibang rehiyon at lugar,” he continued.
Citing data from the Institute for Solidarity in Asia, Bustinera took pride in the radical drop in the country’s jail system—from an alarming 700 percent jail congestion down to 322 percent.
He attributed the decline to the release of PDLs and the bureau’s own efforts to improve jail facilities, despite limited resources.
In 2023, the BJMP reported releasing over 74,000 PDLs while expanding 15 jail facilities.
In spite of the decongestion of jails, Bustinera admits the bureau still lacks the manpower to adequately handle the administration and operation of facilities under its supervision.
The bureau currently has 23,000 personnel, which isn’t even half of the 60,000 required to effectively discharge its mandate based on the ideal one jail guard for every seven PDLs.
BJMP is under the supervision of the Department of Interior and Local Government. (PIA DMD)
