The Commission on Human Rights on Tuesday raised concern over the sorry state of persons deprived of liberty and their vulnerability to coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19).
In a statement, CHR lawyer-spokesperson Jacqueline Ann de Guia said “as we have recommended early on, the plight of PDLs need to be guaranteed considering their vulnerability to the infectious disease due to congestion, jail conditions, and the impossibility of enforcing physical distancing in most places of detention.”
“PDLs have the same inherent dignity and right to health as the general population. They are in detention so they may be reformed as they serve their sentence and may eventually reintegrate to society. Their health and life should not be imperiled while in custody,” she said.
The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology earlier reported that nine inmates and nine personnel tested positive for COVID-19 at the Quezon City jail.
In Muntinlupa City, 76 inmates and 80 personnel at the New Bilibid Prison were considered COVID-19 suspects.
On the other hand, the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City confirmed that 18 inmates and one jail staff tested COVID-19 positive.
De Guia said the increasing number of jails with COVID-19 has posed a growing threat to the health of the PDLs that necessitates urgent and decisive action to ensure their protection against infection.
“We welcome the initial move by the Supreme Court directing the first- and second-level court judges to review their pending criminal cases towards the release of qualified PDLs,” she said.
“Their issuance reiterates the need to adhere to the Supreme Court’s 2014 guidelines on jail decongestion by enforcing the right of the accused persons to bail and speedy trial. It is hoped that this will be implemented with expediency for decongestion to begin,” she added.
Comprehensive decongestion plans and efforts still need to be rolled out swiftly, she said, citing the need to create an ad hoc committee that would map out the guidelines for the temporary release of qualified PDLs, such as the elderly and the sick, those jailed for non-violent offenses and first-time offenders.
“We also recommend that such release addresses issues that PDLs will most likely encounter once they set foot outside of detention. These are transportation of PDLs back to their place of origin, support to those with no relatives, and assistance to the PDLs and their families during the period of crisis,” the CHR official said.
Apart from decongestion measures, risk mitigation must also be implemented, she said.
“In our united effort to heal, humanitarian ideals should prevail even as we ensure accountability to crimes and offenses. Let this be manifested through the equal protection of the rights and dignity of the last, the lost, and the least in our society,” she added.