Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 23) — The request of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) to increase the allowance of prisoners for food and medicine was rejected by the Department of Budget and Management, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla told lawmakers on Wednesday.
During the budget briefing of the Departmenf of Justice (DOJ) in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro raised that the subsistence and medical allowance for prisoners remained at ₱70 and ₱15, respectively in the proposed 2024 budget of the agency.
She asked the DOJ how much was recommended to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
\”Ang amin pong hiningi sa BuCor (Bureau of Corrections) ay ₱100 sa pagkain at ₱30 pesos sa gamot, ngunit hindi ito binigay sa amin,\” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said.
\”Marami hong di talaga binigay ang DBM na kailangang kailangan ng DOJ,\” he also said.
[Translation: What we requested for BuCor is ₱100 for food and ₱30 pesos for medicine, but it was not granted. DOJ had many other urgent requests that were not granted by the DBM.]
Remulla added that the DOJ asked for ₱23 billion to build new jails to decongest other facilities but it was also not approved.
He noted that the congestion rate of Philippines jails is at 383%.
DBM approved a budget of ₱7.2 billion for BuCor next year — only a fifth or 20% of the proposed ₱36.1 billion funding.
Budget Assistant Secretary Mary Anne Dela Vega said the amount of the subsistence and medicine allowance for inmates under BuCor is the same as the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).
\”The reason why it was maintained is because the impact of the other PDLs (persons deprived of liberty) also being maintained will amount to almost ₱3 billion,\” Dela Vega said.
\”We’d also like to state that if we’re going to give the ₱130 being asked by BuCor, we’d also like to consider that as far as our counterparts like the uniformed personnel or military, their subsistence is only at ₱ 150 per day,\” she added.
Meanwhile, BuCor chief Gregorio Catapang Jr. vowed to block any attempt by former New Bilibid Prison (NBP) deputy director Angelina Bautista to return to the bureau after resigning this month.
Catapang said he would reject any application from Bautista, who tendered her irrevocable resignation after being linked to anomalies inside NBP.
Bautista also resigned during the administration of Catapang’s predecessor, Gerald Bantag, after a gang fight inside NBP that resulted in the death of an inmate.
Catapang said his latest directive to ban cash inside NBP and other BuCor jails is aimed at addressing what he described as a \”minimum form of corruption\” involving inmates and BuCor personnel.
Starting September, inmates and prison guards will be prohibited from handling money inside prisons and penal colonies. The BuCor will instead issue booklets to prisoners, which will reflect the amount credited to the owner’s name and could be used to purchase goods inside detention facilities.
