Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Leila de Lima has created a technical working group to address the problems besetting the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) and the office that supervises it, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor). In Department Order No. 512 issued on Wednesday, De Lima said the group will convene in the first week of July and submit to President Benigno Aquino III a report 30 days after their first meeting. De Lima herself will be the chairperson of the panel and the following will be the members:
Justice Undersecretary Francisco Baraan III, the incoming replacement of resigned BuCor chief Ernesto Diokno, Board of Pardons and Parole chair Natividad Dizon, Parole and Probation Administration administrator Manuel Co, DOJ technical services head Ma. Charina Dy-Po, NBP chief superintendent Ramon Reyes, Davao Prison and Penal Farm superintendent Venancio Tesoro, Correctional Institute for Women superintendent Rachel Ruelo, three representatives from non-government organizations, and three representatives of the NBP inmates. De Lima added that the group will invite resource persons from the Commission on Human Rights, former BuCor officials and inmates, experts in the fields of penology and jail management, and representatives from prison ministries. The problems at BuCor and the national penitentiary were placed under the spotlight following the unauthorized trip of convicted killer and former Batangas Gov. Jose Antonio Leviste last May 18. Due to the controversy sparked by Leviste's caper, Diokno resigned from his post as BuCor director. In her department order, De Lima said that the technical working group will prioritize the resolution of the following: The problem regarding the worsening jail congestion in the New Bilibid Prison, the Correctional Institute for Women, and the BuCor's penal farms or colonies; The planned transfer of the NBP to another site and/or the regionalization of the prison system; The modernization of the prison system aimed at addressing principally the prison personnel's low pay, and at retooling, as well as re-educating and retraining, of prison personnel, especially the prison guards, and instilling in them a sense of duty and professionalism; The procurement system in the BuCor, especially those related to food and catering supplies; The prevalence of underground criminal syndicates run by inmates and presumably allowed by conniving prison officials/personnel, especially those related to drugs, prostitution, money lending, and other clandestine illegal activities within the confines of the national jails; The 'kubol' system and other usual arrangements (like the 'sleep-out' privilege) that appear to have been tolerated or encouraged by prison officials, and the gang culture inside prison; The review, revision, or amendment of prison rules and regulations, particularly those provided in the BuCor Operating Manual; The call for an efficient and speedy processing of inmate records for the purpose of granting parole or recommending executive clemency to deserving or qualified inmates, and the release of those whose sentences have been served; The possible sources or root causes of graft and corruption within BuCor; and Other problems and concerns that may crop up during the sessions or proceedings of the TWG. At a press briefing on Thursday, De Lima said that the group's report will be recommendatory in nature, the DOJ can already execute measures that fall under its jurisdiction. "I would anticipate that many of the measures that we will propose can already be carried out or implemented by the DOJ even without yet clearance from the president. But there might be some that require clearance from the president," De Lima said. - VVP, GMA News 
GMA Brandtalk
Tracking
Archives
