Bicol Saro Rep. Brian Yamsuan. FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Program, where inmates or persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) are sent to schools to continue their education, is a key factor in avoiding repeat offenders and eventually improving communities, Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan said on Monday.
Yamsuan in a statement praised the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) for facilitating the continued education of over 19,000 PDLs in 2023.
“The BJMP’s initiatives to improve the well-being of detainees through its continuing education programs is a key factor in reducing the reoffending or recidivism rate among PDLs,” Yamsuan, who used to be an assistant secretary for the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), said.
“This, in turn, will aid in the ongoing efforts to decongest overcrowded jails and unlock doors of opportunities for PDLs to become productive members of society,” he added.
Yamsuan cited data from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) accomplishment report for 2023, where a total of 19,299 PDLs were able to continue their education even while they were in BJMP facilities, through the bureau’s partnerships with private schools, non-government organizations and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.
Of the over 19,000 PDLs who continued their education, 5,927 were enrolled at the elementary level, 9,549 in junior high school, and 3,407 in senior high school.
There were also 416 PDLs who were enrolled in college programs in 2023, of which 24 were able to complete their degree programs.
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“All PDLs deserve a second chance. Under the leadership of BJMP Director Ruel Rivera, we are confident that more PDLs under the agency’s care would be inspired to defy the odds and be motivated to change for the better,” Yamsuan noted.
However, Yamsuan still called for the passage of a bill he authored — House Bill No. 8672 — which seeks to unify all corrective facilities in the country under a single department.
Yamsuan filed the bill last August 2023, and it is still pending with the House of Representatives committee on government reorganization.
In the explanatory note of the bill, Yamsuan argues that a unified jail management system under a proposed Department of Corrections and Jail Management is needed to ensure efficiency in operations.
“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,” Yamsuan said.
“The lack of a unified corrections system also hampers data sharing and communication between agencies. Consequently, important information about inmates, such as their criminal history, behavior, and rehabilitation progress, is not effectively circulated. This impedes efforts to implement rehabilitation programs, leaving many PDLs without the necessary support to reenter and reintegrate successfully into the society upon their release,” he added. With reports from Ana Mae Malate, trainee