COA calls out BJMP due to 392% congestion of jails in Mindanao 

The Commission on Audit (COA) has called on the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) to improve its cell decongestion programs especially in Central Mindanao as it found out that jail cells in the region were overcrowded by 392 percent.

“As of December 31, 2015, the BJMP RO (Regional Office) 12 has a total jail population of 4,510 which exceeded the total ideal capacity of 917 having a variance of 3,593 or has a total average of 392 percent of congestion/overcrowding or clogging,” the COA said in its annual audit report on the BJMP published recently on the COA website.

Region 12 (SOCCKSARGEN) is comprised of the provinces of South Cotabato, Sarangani, and Sultan Kudarat. It has five cities namely, Cotabato City, General Santos, Kidapawan, Koronadal and Tacurong.

The region has 14 city jails, 10 district jails and one municipal jail, based on the COA record.

The COA report said cell population in these jails failed to conform to the United Nation’s standard of 4.7-square meter minimum floor space per detainee, “whether he is alone in the cell or share it with another person.” 

“The Jail Bureau failed to conform to the occupancy rate stipulated in Rule10 of the United Nations Minimum Standard Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, particularly in providing living quarters to the detainees in [BJMP] RO 12,” the COA report read.

The COA attributed the overpopulation of jails in the region to the increase in the number of drug-related crimes as well as the courts’ slow disposition of cases involving heinous or grave offenses that carry the penalty of reclusion perpetua.

“It could be gleaned from the schedule of jail population per year, that there are still cases way back 1996 that are not yet decided because of the court’s slow or no action on the pending cases due to lack of judges, postponement of hearings and slow disposition of criminal cases.

These cases carry the penalty of reclusion perpetua or life imprisonment,” the report read.

The COA record shows that of the 4,511 committed crimes in Region 12 as of the end of 2015, 2,852 or 63.22 percent involves violations of Republic Act 6425 or the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1972 and of RA 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

“We recommended that the Jail Bureau facilitate the construction of additional cells,” the COA said in its report. The audit body further recommended to BJMP to “intensify” other modes of decongesting jail cells such as through Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) and the Release on Recognizance.

The GCTA is a BJMP program, in which inmates are made to attend within the jail compound various programs to make them productive such as livelihood trainings, religious activities and Alternative Learning System (ALS).

Meanwhile, the Release on Recognizance under Republic Act 10389 or the Recognizance Act of 2012 allows the non-imprisonment of accused who do not have the means to post bail, on the condition that they will be placed under the custody of the municipal or city government to ensure their appearance in court when needed.

In a reply to the audit report, the BJMP said it has recently conducted seminars facilitated by judges and prosecutors on how to intensify the implementation of GTCA and law on recognizance as well as the Parole and Probation System.

The BJMP also informed the audit body that there is an ongoing construction of additional cells in both the male and female dorms of the General Santos City Jail.

The BJMP further said vacated administrative offices at Tacurong City District Jail and Alabel District Jail are also being converted into cells. — VVP, GMA News