Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 1) — The Senate on Tuesday ratified the Bicameral Conference Committee report on the bill aiming to create a separate facility for persons convicted of heinous crimes.
Senator Richard Gordon said the Bicameral Conference Committee agreed to use the Senate version of the bill as the working draft. He is also the sponsor of the bicam report on Senate Bill No. 1055 and House Bill No. 10355, or the proposed Separate Facility for Heinous Crimes Inmates Act.
“I am passionate about the creation of a separate heinous facility to solve not just the congestion in jails but also ensure the safety of the public and the convicts themselves,” Gordon said.
The Separate Facility for Heinous Crimes Inmates Act, states that a separate facility for Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) convicted of heinous crimes “shall be built in a suitable location to be determined by the Secretary of Justice, away from the general population and other PDLs.” The facility should be located in a secured and isolated place “to ensure that there is no unwarranted contact or communication from outside of the penal institution.”
The bill also aims to build three separate facilities, one each in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Each facility should have surveillance cameras, the latest information technology, and security systems capable of monitoring the inmates.
“This is just the first step. As the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, we will push for penal reforms in order to make positive shifts in our Criminal justice system,” Gordon said.
