INSPECTION. Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights Chairperson Senator Francis Tolentino (right), Senator Ronald Dela Rosa (3rd right), and Senator Robin Padilla (2nd right), together with Bureau of Corrections Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr. (4th right), visited the National Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City on Aug. 8, 2023. This after the escape of inmate Michael Catarroja from the facility. (PNA photo by Yancy Lim)
MANILA – Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Undersecretary Gregorio Catapang Jr. on Thursday appealed to senators to help strengthen the implementation of Republic Act (RA) 10575 or the Bureau of Corrections Act of 2013 and RA 11928 or the Separate Facility for Heinous Crimes Act of 2022.
Catapang made the request during the third hearing of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights wherein he presented his plans and reforms for the bureau.
"I hope na maintindihan niyo po ang malaking sitwasyon na minana ko dito. Pero di po ako nawawalan ng lakas ng loob dahil alam ko kasama namin kayo at tutulong po kayo sa amin (that you will understand the situation that I inherited here. But I am not losing the determination because I know that you are with us and you will help us)," Catapang told the panel.
"Dahil kayo na rin po ang nagpasa ng batas na yan, umaasa po kami na bibigyan niyo naman ng konting lakas at para ma-implement po ang batas na ginawa ninyo (Because you are the ones who passed that law, we hope that you will give us more strength so we can implement the laws that you created)," he added.
Catapang cited the prison and penal facilities under BuCor, which underwent renovations last 1973 during the time of the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.,that could only cater to around 12,000 but house 51,500 inmates.
RA 11928 was supposed to establish and maintain separate penitentiary facilities for persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) convicted of heinous crimes.
Section 11 of the law states that "Congress shall conduct a regular review of the implementation of and compliance with this Act, which shall entail a systematic evaluation of the performance of the concerned agencies with respect to its intent and objectives."
Meanwhile, RA 10575 primarily aims to make BuCor’s systems at par with international prison management standards and also decongest the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City.
Senator Francis Tolentino, who chairs the panel, assured the BuCor that the committee will continue to work with the bureau in implementing prison reforms through its oversight function.
"Mahaba-haba po ito. Baka hindi lang ito ang pagkakataon na mag-hearing tayo patungkol sa prison reforms. Hindi niyo kami katunggali sa layuning ito. Magkakasama po tayo diyan. Yun po ang ating hangarin (This would take long. Maybe this is not just the time that we will hear about prison reforms. We are not your opponent in this cause. We are together in this. That is our intent)," Tolentino said.
The panel conducted the hearing in response to the Senate resolutions filed by Tolentino and Senator Ronald Dela Rosa in connection with the controversial escape on July 7 of PDL Michael Catarroja from NBP’s maximum security compound. (PNA)
