New BJMP chief vows to address jail congestion

The newly-appointed chief of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) on Tuesday said decongesting jails is one of the priorities of his administration.

During a press conference, Jail Chief Superintendent Allan Iral disclosed that the present nationwide congestion rate is at 442 percent.

Iral is hoping that through the ongoing construction of jail facilities as well as through enhanced paralegal programs, the rate will soon decrease by 200 percent.

"Maaaring na-decongest na po natin 'yung mga regions natin pero dito sa NCR (National Capital Region), nandito pa rin po 'yung bulk ng problem ng pag-manage sa congestion," Iral said.

"Napansin namin grabe pa rin ang congestion. Bahagyang mataas 'yung congestion rate ng NCR sa nationwide congestion rate... 608 [percent] 'yung sa NCR out of the 442 na nationwide," he added.

He said there has been ongoing construction of jail facilities in the cities of Quezon and San Juan targeted to be finished by 2021 and 2020, respectively.

According to Iral, the most congested jails in Metro Manila are the Manila City Jail and Quezon City Jail, with 5,731 and 5,296 inmates, respectively. He said Manila City Jail can only accommodate 1,200 inmates while Quezon City Jail can house 800 to 900.

"Ang jails talaga namin bigyan ko lang kayo ng ano, ang isang selda namin is 6 by 8 meters... Ibig sabihin 48 square meters. Dapat meron diyan sampung PDL (persons deprived of liberty) na nakakulong sa isang selda," Iral said.

Hot weather, scarcity of food

Amid the hot weather, Iral said the BJMP management has been addressing the discomfort of inmates by aiming that they can take a bath at least twice a day.

"Ang magagawa lang namin diyan, ang inaano namin diyan kahit sa pagligo man lang, kung kaya nilang maligo dalawang beses sa isang araw mas maganda," Iral said.

"Ang problema naman ay kulang din po sa tubig... Ang inaano natin kung problema ang tubig, puwede silang manghingi ng tulong sa Bureau of Fire Protection..." he added.

"'Yung ventilation din kailangang i-improve, alisin 'yung mga harang para tuloy-tuloy 'yung pasok ng hangin."

Iral also said the management monitors the health condition of inmates, noting that hypertension and skin diseases are very rampant among them especially during the hot season.

Meanwhile, Iral also said he will have claims that some BJMP personnel are not giving enough food to inmates investigated.

"'Yang mga alegasyon na 'yan, paiimbestigahan po natin 'yan. Pagaganahin po natin ang mga regional food service council kasi ito po 'yung mag-countercheck kung totoo ba talaga," he said.

Iral was appointed BJMP chief on March 27. —KBK, GMA News