CHR, BuCor agree to name rights officers in jails

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) have agreed to train and assign human rights officers for inmates, as the state correctional facility acknowledged several “failures” in its mission to protect the human rights of persons deprived of liberty.

CHR Chair Richard Palpal-latoc and BuCor Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr. signed a memorandum of agreement that would allow the BuCor to assign one human rights officer from its own staff for each security compound in correctional facilities.

“The BuCor [has failed] in its mission to safeguard the inmates and to make sure that the inmates would not harm or be part of a conspiracy to harm other people,” Catapang said.

“This is part of my reform agenda so I am thankful to all of you,” he added. “This problem with the BuCor is like a gift from God, in that he is giving me the wherewithal to reform it.”Under the setup, inmates can approach these human rights officers if they have concerns or reports of human rights abuses.

Controversy

The correctional facility has recently been embroiled in controversy after allegations that its former Director General Gerald Bantag, who has since been suspended, had been ordering inmates to carry out crimes outside New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City.

This allegedly included the murder of local broadcaster Percival “Percy Lapid.” The confessed gunman, Joel Escorial, alleged that he was hired by a middleman from within NBP, who was later discovered to have been killed by his fellow inmates.

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