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MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Wednesday urged the government to look into the welfare and situation of inmates at its facilities across the country after a recent Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) report found that three to four prisoners die in their custody every day this year alone.
In a statement, the CHR said it was “gravely alarmed” at the BuCor’s report, which also revealed that a record-breaking 1,166 out of 48,501 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) died in their custody last year — the highest in 32 years.
CHR Chair Richard Palpal-latoc said the numbers “depict a cruel reality for [PDLs, or inmates] across the country,” as they suffer from overcrowded detention facilities, poor hygiene and ventilation issues, that endanger their safety.
He reminded the national government of its national and local obligations to uphold the welfare of convicted people through a humane correctional system.
“If these continue to be neglected, the country may be at serious risk of betraying its international commitments,” he warned.He called on the national government, to, among others, prioritize and expedite decongestion efforts such as the speedy disposition of cases for nonviolent, nonserious offenders; granting executive clemency for qualified detainees; and the immediate review of cases of individuals allegedly being targeted because of their political affiliations.
Palpal-latoc also urged the government to establish a National Preventive Mechanism through legislation to address jail conditions that may be tantamount to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment or torture.
The unusually high number of fatalities was recorded under the term of now-relieved Director General Gerald Bantag, who is among the persons of interest in the death of broadcaster Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa.
It was also under Bantag’s watch that several high-profile inmates “died” within three weeks, supposedly of COVID-19.
A National Bureau of Investigation report, however, raised flags about these high-profile deaths and said there might have been a “system or a way to make it appear that the inmates had COVID-19… there was ‘criminal intent.’”