Santiago says inmates should be charged ‘rent’

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago renewed Wednesday an old proposal of hers to make inmates pay for better—but not luxurious—accommodations, so that the government could at least get additional funds.

Santiago reiterated her suggestion following the discovery that rich prisoners had been enjoying a lot of prohibited perks, including a sauna, air-conditioning units and Wi-Fi connections and a sound studio.

At the same time, Santiago said, she believed that there were high-ranking officials from the Department of Justice who were protecting the system in the New Bilibid Prison that allowed moneyed inmates to live a life of luxury.

She said her proposal to make inmates pay for better accommodations was similar to what was practiced in the United States. But when she first proposed that the Philippines adopt the practice, her move was not taken seriously.

“If you can’t prevent it, then you must mitigate it. This has been going on for perhaps decades and it has never been stopped. That means it is institutionalized,” Santiago told reporters.

She pointed out that the special treatment of certain prisoners had been taking place for a long time, and despite changes in leadership in the Bureau of Corrections, the system has remained intact.

“That also means that this system is protected by very high personnel, probably up to the justice department, because the Bureau of Prisons is under the Department of Justice. Of course, I don’t necessarily mean the secretary of justice,” she said.

Santiago said there must be a “cabal” in the DOJ “who make sure that people understand that they extend their full protection to these merchant men who conduct their business there [in the NBP].”

Given the dramatic disclosures of the perks that some inmates enjoyed behind bars, she said it was necessary that the name those actively involved in the system and those who protected it from the beginning.

The discovery of the special privileges of the rich inmates, most of them drug convicts, has raised howls of indignation and calls for a comprehensive revamp of the country’s corrections system.

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