Peaceful New Year’s Eve in jails says BJMP

MANILA, Philippines — Jails across the country peacefully welcomed the New Year as the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) did not record any untoward incident on New Year’s Eve.

According to the BJMP, no reports of violence were sent from the 470 jail facilities nationwide on New Year’s Eve.

BJMP chief Jail Director Allan Iral credited this to the preparations made by jail personnel to secure all persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) under their custody.

“I would like to commend our BJMP personnel manning our facilities for a secured and peaceful welcoming of the new year,” Iral said in a statement on Friday.

“We beefed up our security in our jails just to make sure that we can secure the persons deprived of liberty (PDL) under our care and thwart any untoward incidents in our units,” he added.

The BJMP said a thorough review of security protocols was made before the holidays to avoid a repeat of previous incidents, as a heightened alert was also raised.

At present, physical visitations remain suspended in all BJMP facilities as a precautionary measure amid the COVID-19 pandemic.  However, the BJMP has assured that PDLs can still talk to their relatives through online visitations or through phone calls.

/MUF