Muntinlupa gov’t hits transfer of 18 COVID-19 inmates to Bilibid

FROM MANDALUYONG TO MUNTINLUPA The 18 inmates from the Correctional Institution for Women were ferried in vans on Tuesday afternoon to a quarantine facility at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City. —PHOTO FROM BUCOR PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE

MANILA, Philippines — The Muntinlupa City government on Wednesday protested the transfer of 18 coronavirus-positive inmates from the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City to a quarantine facility inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP), saying it could lead to the further spread of the contagious disease in the city.

“We were surprised to know about it from sources outside the Bureau of Correction (BuCor). We are all trying to contain the spread of [the new coronavirus disease or] COVID-19 in Muntinlupa and the transfer should not have been done as it poses a threat to the health of residents,” Mayor Jaime Fresnedi said. He added that the BuCor did not coordinate with city officials.

According to him, some residents, particularly in Barangay Poblacion where the NBP reservation was located, had said they were worried about the risk of infection.

In an emergency session on Wednesday, the city council also passed a resolution expressing their opposition to the transfer.

The city government said it had no information on how the prisoners were ferried to the national penitentiary and if the BuCor followed the protocol set by the health department on the safe transport of COVID-19 patients.

Muntinlupa information officer Tez Navarro said they were surprised to learn that a quarantine facility had been built inside the NBP, adding that BuCor did not coordinate with the city health office to ensure if proper health protocols were followed in its construction.

“We are not against the inmates. It is not their fault that they contracted COVID-19,” Navarro explained. She said that what the city government was protesting were the risks posed by the BuCor’s actions.

“What if they bring more positive inmates and we are again left in the dark?” she asked.

Based on the April 21 bulletin of the city health office, Muntinlupa has 126 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 17 fatalities and 14 recoveries. Barangay Poblacion, where the NBP is located, has 11 cases.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Navarro said the city had not received any formal communication from BuCor.

BuCor spokesperson Gabriel Chaclag, however, said they had tried to reach out to the city government about the sudden decision of BuCor Director-General Gerald Bantag to move the CIW patients.

After announcing on Tuesday that 18 CIW inmates and a health worker had tested positive for COVID-19, the prisoners were transported in the afternoon to the NBP in closed vans under the supervision of Dr. Henry Fabro, NBP Hospital chief.

“They will be better taken care of in this facility without endangering the prison camp or the NBP community. The vans were thoroughly disinfected afterward and all personnel involved had also undergone disinfection procedures,” BuCor said in a statement.

The CIW in Mandaluyong has its own quarantine facility but cannot accommodate the 18 patients who were either asymptomatic or experiencing mild symptoms.

According to Chaclag, the quarantine site called “Site Harry” is a compound with 12-meter-high perimeter walls that was set up with the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Chaclag said the site was safe and isolated at the nearest residential area several kilometers away.

Site Harry was supposed to house COVID-19 patients from the national penitentiary, but BuCor said there were no confirmed cases yet.