JUNE 18, 2015

NR # 3867B

DoJ asked to look into sub-human conditions in penitentiaries

Buhay Party-list Rep. Jose L. Atienza, Jr. has expressed concern over the current
sub-human conditions in the countrys penitentiaries, made worst by over-population.
Atienza is author of House Resolution 2140, strongly urging the Department of
Justice (DoJ) to conduct an immediate review of all cases of inmates and/or detainees in
all provincial and city jails across the country.
The seven penitentiaries in the country have a total capacity of 16,000 inmates.
However, the present total number of inmates is about 41,000 or a congestion rate of
140% over the ideal inmate population, Atienza noted.
Atienza cited a reality that many of these inmates, due to severe poverty, are
overstaying beyond their penalties prescribed for their offenses, particularly in the City of
Manila.
The Manila City Jail, in particular, was built to accommodate roughly 800 to 1,000
inmates, has a population of almost 4,000 inmates, Atienza, a former Manila mayor
himself revealed.
This over-population in the Manila City Jail, which, according to Atienza, is
prevalent in almost all the other penitentiaries in the country, has resulted in conditions
that have been described as sub-human.
At the Manila City Jail, inmates are forced to sleep while sitting or even standing
up and are suffering from skin diseases due to poor sanitation, among others, he added.
Atienza cited Article III, Section 19 Par (2) of the Philippine Constitution which
provides against the employment of physical, psychological, or degrading punishment
against any prisoner or detainee or the use of substandard or inadequate penal facilities
under subhuman conditions.
Likewise, Article I (1) of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights
provides that All persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and with
respect for the inherent dignity of the human person, cited Atienza.
The present conditions of the countrys penitentiaries are in clear violations of
these laws, he stressed.
HR 2140 has been referred to the House Committee on Rules for proper
consideration. (30) dpt