Panayam kay BJMP spokesperson, JCInsp. Jayrex Bustinera
Panayam kay BJMP spokesperson, JCInsp. Jayrex Bustinera
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00:00 In the absence of more than 74,000 PDLs and other programs,
00:04 we will discuss with the Jail Chief, Inspector J. Rex Bustinera,
00:09 the spokesperson of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.
00:12 Inspector J., good afternoon.
00:15 Good afternoon, Attorney Danny and Ms. Chi.
00:21 Sir, because the priority of BJMP is the decongestion of our prisoners,
00:27 what is the total number of PDLs you released to the country?
00:32 Based on our data, from January to October,
00:39 we released 74,590 PDLs.
00:44 We expect that this will increase because, of course,
00:47 we will release more this coming month.
00:50 Okay, Inspector J., this is Chi.
00:54 What are your considerations to release these PDLs?
00:58 Will this continue to expand our prisons?
01:03 Yes, ma'am.
01:07 Our first consideration is that they should have a court order.
01:11 And then most of our releases are released through GCTA,
01:15 or Good Conduct Time Allowance,
01:17 where we reduce their sentence
01:20 so that they can be released early if they have good behavior.
01:24 This also includes the paralegal assistance program of BJMP.
01:28 One of the priorities of our Chief BJMP, Jail Director Rueles Rivera,
01:33 and of course, our DILG Secretary, Attorney Benor Abalos,
01:37 is to increase the number of paralegal programs.
01:40 So that, of course, aside from the regular release of our sentence served,
01:45 we can add other assistance programs.
01:49 Sir, how many of the released prisoners have already served their sentences,
01:53 or have already paid their bail, and others?
01:55 Just to be clear, how many of the PDLs have only been transferred facilities,
02:01 such as bureau facilities, youth detention facilities, and others?
02:05 Yes, of our 74,000, only 10,000 were time served their sentences.
02:14 The rest are all paralegal release.
02:16 The ones we transferred to the Bureau of Corrections are in the 6,000 PDLs.
02:21 So the ones we released are our paralegal assistance in bail,
02:26 community service, acquittal, process of bail,
02:31 and then other programs, our diversion programs in imprisonment,
02:36 such as aftercare and aftercare programs of our community-based rehabilitation.
02:42 Okay, sir, according to an article, one of the things that helped in decongesting the prisoners
02:47 is the efforts of the BJMP in providing legal and paralegal assistance.
02:52 Can you explain how this helped in expanding jail facilities, sir?
02:58 Yes.
03:01 As of now, we know that many PDLs are imprisoned,
03:07 and there are only a few public lawyers.
03:11 With the help of the BJMP paralegal officers,
03:14 their cases are made available to the PDLs,
03:18 and they are assisted by going to their courts and lawyers outside the jail.
03:25 And to speed up their hearings,
03:29 they can also avail of a way to be released earlier.
03:35 And in doing so, the court can also focus on the pending cases.
03:39 So most of the time, it is the coordination of the BJMP with their lawyers and courts,
03:45 and of course, the assistance of the PDLs.
03:48 Because most of our PDLs have a hard time understanding our legal processes.
03:54 And through the help of our BJMP officers,
03:57 they are helped to understand and of course,
04:00 they can make a proper decision to be released early.
04:04 Sir, can we say that if the proper process of transferring and releasing the PDLs continues,
04:13 the tight prison will be solved?
04:18 Yes, that's right.
04:22 And I also want to plug in, sir,
04:25 that we now have inter-agency coordination.
04:30 Now, on December 6 and 7, there will be a decongestion summit.
04:35 The Supreme Court, Department of Justice, and DILG, along with the BJMP, will participate in this.
04:43 These agencies will discuss the activities, methods, and problems
04:50 to address the congestion or tightness inside our prisons.
04:54 This is a very good development,
04:56 and we are expecting that more people will be released this December so that they can celebrate Christmas outside.
05:02 Is it also right, sir, to say that we don't need to add facilities
05:08 if the process of transferring and releasing the jail facilities in the country is just one of the proper ones?
05:13 It depends, ma'am Chi.
05:18 First, we still need to repair and develop our facilities.
05:24 Considering that our new facility is only 142 out of 482.
05:30 This means that the remaining facilities are old and not in accordance with our international standards.
05:39 That is what we are looking at as a standard for the humane treatment of our prisoners.
05:44 So, as part of the BJMP, we welcome, of course, if we have funds
05:49 or additional assistance for the construction of jail facilities.
05:54 But these are two efforts.
05:56 The control of the entry, the width of the facility,
06:02 and of course, the release of those inside the prisons.
06:06 So, for the BJMP, both efforts are important.
06:10 Sir, aside from what you mentioned earlier,
06:14 are there other programs that can help in the decongestion of our prisons?
06:19 Yes, the BJMP is now starting the classification of our system
06:28 to know who has the propensity to return or be a recidivist of PDLs
06:34 so that while they are inside, they are already being treated, meaning they already have a program.
06:39 This is related to the Developmental Opportunity Program that we have been looking for.
06:43 That is one of the alternative learning systems.
06:45 They are able to study inside so that they can graduate from junior high school, senior high school.
06:50 So that when they leave, their chances of returning are low.
06:54 We can control the situation.
06:56 We also have the College Education Program.
06:59 They are already studying in the select BJMP facilities.
07:02 We have seven pilot sites of College Behind Bars.
07:06 And there are other programs that are part of our stakeholder engagement.
07:12 The summit with the Supreme Court and DOJ is coming up.
07:15 And there are many more.
07:17 Our objective is to make the government of PITAN human
07:22 and it will be human if we continue to expand or address the congestion.
07:29 So that's it, sir.
07:31 That is a big help to our fellow countrymen who are now in PDLs and also to their families.
07:36 Sir, please send a message to our fellow countrymen.
07:39 From the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology,
07:45 under the Department of the Interior and Local Government,
07:48 we are thankful for this opportunity and we hope that we can support the programs of BJMP and our government.
07:56 Especially, this is concerning to persons deprived of liberty.
08:01 Because our only desire from BJMP and we have already released them,
08:06 is to be productive citizens and not to return to the life of crime and not to return to PITAN.
08:12 So we hope that we can support the programs.
08:15 Thank you very much.
08:17 Thank you very much for your time, Jail Chief Inspector J. Rex Bustinera, the spokesperson of BJMP.