New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City (Philippine Daily Inquirer file photo /Grig C. Montegrande)
MANILA, Philippines — Bicol Saro Party-list Representative Brian Raymund Yamsuan has filed a bill pushing for the creation of a Department of Corrections and Jail Management (DCJM), saying it could address the inherent flaws in the Philippine correctional system.
Yamsuan said House Bill (HB) No. 8672 would pave the way for the creation of DCJM.
Among the issues that it could address include the high congestion rate in jails and the abuse and corruption that has prevailed in the National Bilibid Prison (NBP) and other penal facilities in the country.
“By centralizing the oversight and management of prisons and jails and the rehabilitation of Persons Deprived of Liberty under a single department, the government can achieve greater efficiency and accountability,” said Yamsuan in a statement on Thursday.
The bill was filed on Tuesday.
Under HB 8672, Yamsuan said DCJM would have the following bureaus:
-Bureau of Corrections (BuCor)
-Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP)
–Bureau of Parole and Probation Administration
–Bureau of Rehabilitation Services
The measure likewise calls for the conversion of national prisons and penal farms in Metro Palawan, Davao, Leyte, Occidental Mindoro, and Zamboanga into regional correctional facilities.
“The provincial and sub-provincial jails shall be the detention facilities for prisoners serving sentences with penalties of imprisonment for three years and below, while the district, city, and municipal jails shall be for detainees who fail to post bail and are awaiting trial or sentencing,” Yamsuan said.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, following the discovery of a mass grave at NBP, earlier stressed the need to regionalize the country’s prison system.