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Solons wants more ‘modern jails’ built to avoid congestion

By Filane Mikee Cervantes

July 29, 2021, 6:05 pm

<p>New Mandaluyong City Jail located in Maysilo Circle, Barangay Plainview, Mandaluyong City <em>(Photo courtesy of Mandaluyong City Rep. Neptali Gonzales' office)</em></p>

New Mandaluyong City Jail located in Maysilo Circle, Barangay Plainview, Mandaluyong City (Photo courtesy of Mandaluyong City Rep. Neptali Gonzales' office)

MANILA – A leader of the House of Representatives on Thursday proposed the construction of more modern jails to prevent prison overcrowding and the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

Deputy Speaker and Mandaluyong City Rep. Neptali Gonzales II stressed the importance of building better facilities to lessen the spread of diseases in jails.

He also cited the Bureau of Corrections records showing that the congestion rate in its 125 prisons was 310 percent in January 2020.

According to a Human Rights Watch Report in 2020, 467 jails nationwide were at 534 percent of capacity in March of the same year based on Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) records.

“In these trying times, we are hoping that Congress will also shed light on the needs of our fellow Filipinos who have been deprived of liberty. PDLs (persons deprived of liberty) also deserve humane and safe facilities especially now that we are in a pandemic,” Gonzales said.

He said the government should address the inadequate detention conditions that could have devastating impacts on PDLs and prison staff, especially amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Gonzales cited as an example the establishment of the first fully automated, modern and state-of-the-art eight-storey city jail in Mandaluyong.

The new city jail in Mandaluyong worth PHP515 million has an energy-efficient design, a “sunning area” on the roof deck, a basketball court, and a state-of-the-art kitchen and laundry facilities.

“We hope that more of these facilities will be funded under the next year’s national budget,” he said.

He said this facility could be the solution to the perennial problem of prison congestion, as he noted that the old BJMP building has the capacity of around 170 PDLs, but it currently houses over 700 inmates.

“Ngayon namang panahon ng Covid-19, huwag naman sana mangyari maghawaan... Ngunit kung mayroon man pangyayaring ganito… ay may sapat na lugar o selda na dahil sa laki ng aming bagong city jail, na maaaring maihiwalay ang mga magpa-positive na inmates, sa kabuuan ng mga nakakulong (In this time of Covid-19, we hope to prevent any transmission... But if it ever happens, there would be enough space or cells in the new city jail to separate inmates who tested positive for Covid-19 from other prisoners),” he said.

The new facility was inaugurated on July 27, with Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar leading the inauguration as part of the Duterte administration’s “Build, Build, Build” program. (PNA)

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