Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 11) — The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology said Wednesday it is considering implementing a lockdown in jails should an inmate test positive for the coronavirus disease or COVID-19.
“Kung magpositibo ang inmate, we will implement a lockdown. Restricted ang movement sa loob, pati our personnel,” said BJMP Community Relations Chief Xavier Solda in a press briefing.
[Translation: If an inmate tests positive, we will implement a lockdown. Movement inside the facilities, including of our personnel, will be restricted.]
“Hindi pa namin nakikita na magkakaroon ng ganitong kaso sa loob ng jails namin. [Translation: We are currently not seeing the possibility of COVID-19 cases inside our jails.],” he added. Even so, Solda said the bureau is taking proactive measures to ensure the infectious disease would not reach the detainees.
In the event that an inmate exhibits symptoms of COVID-19, the BJMP official said they will tap epidemiologic and infectious disease units to facilitate tests inside their jails. An inmate who would test positive for the disease will be brought immediately to the hospital. Initial contact tracing will also be done.
BJMP has enough supply and funds for medicines but its facilities are limited in handling COVID-19 patients, he added.
“Kakailanganing mag-rearrange sa loob ng facility,” Solda said. “We have to transfer some inmates to a different cell para lang magkaroon ng isolation room sa isang jail facility.”
Solda added that elder inmates have already been separated from the rest and are being closely monitored. Data on coronavirus cases across the world show that the disease has proved especially fatal when it comes to the elderly.
Visitors not allowed in jails
In an effort to prevent the coronavirus disease from infecting inmates, BJMP has announced that they are temporarily banning visits to jails.
Starting March 11, all jails in Metro Manila, Bulacan, and Cavite are not accepting visitors.
Jail visitation is also temporarily suspended in some parts of Rizal, including Cainta, Binangonan, and Antipolo City.
In Region 1, all jails will not be accepting visitors for two weeks, while visitation is suspended in all jails in Region 11 in the next seven days.
“We cannot discount the possibility [of an infection], kaya nga ngayon talagang sobrang higpit ng BJMP sa pagbabantay ng mga gates natin, activities ng personnel natin, lalo na yung mga movements sa mga jails natin,” Solda said. He added that they wouldn’t be able to screen the travel history of every visitor.
[Translation: We cannot discount the possibility [of an infection], that’s why we’re implementing strict measures—in safeguarding our gates, the activities of our personnel, and especially the movements inside our jails.]
BJMP jails have around 500% congestion rate, according to the bureau, rendering the preventive measure of “social distancing” ineffective.
The bureau also clarified that they would have to assess the situation in other regions especially in Metro Manila before deciding until when visitation will be suspended.
Before announcing the move, Solda said they first explained the situation to their detainees. “Nagpapasalamat kami na walang violent reaction or pagtutol sa desisyon ng BJMP.”
In the meantime, BJMP suggested that family members of inmates use the e-Dalaw facility to talk to their relatives. They may also still send food in Metro Manila jails. “Wala naman pong report na napapasa sa pagkain ang sakit,” Solda said.
Call for mass release of prisoners
Meanwhile, Kapatid, an organization pushing for the freedom of political prisoners, called for the immediate mass release of old and “very sick” prisoners, as well as those being held for low-level offenses.
They likewise urged the government to release “one spouse in the case of every political prisoner couple (numbering 10) and those considered mere “riders” or accidental victims in political arrests.”
The group invoked an “Iran solution.” The Iranian government announced Monday that it has temporarily released about 70,000 prisoners to combat the coronavirus outbreak.
In a statement, Kapatid said that “even with a lockdown of jails, no prison is a closed environment.”
“That they are just prisoners anyway deserving of punishment is a boorish, unenlightened, illogical view,” it added.
The organization cited a FLAG report on high judicial error rate of illegal arrests which is at 73%–90%, as well as the Supreme Court’s own data on wrongful convictions which is at 71.77%.
In the press briefing, the BJMP said they are currently not considering the release of prisoners amid the COVID-19 scare.
[Translation: We have to rearrange inside the facility. We have to transfer some inmates to a different cell to make space for an isolation room inside the facility.]
