Bilibid

Duterte’s administration has begun to unearth the sources of the many ills in government service. He has instructed his Cabinet to take the job seriously or else they can pack up and leave. Many of his chosen “ones” have obediently followed his marching orders and have gone off to the “wars” in full battle gear ready to bring on a revolution the country needs.

As the different secretaries discover the root of the problems be it in Education, Finance, Agriculture, Health, Justice, etc., they are supposed to cleanse their areas of responsibility, reorganize, restructure, establish order in their offices and enforce discipline amongst the public servants within their offices. But as they embark on this gargantuan task they realize that some laws need to be reformed or created in order to speed up the work and bring more efficiency into each institution. The problem lies now in the Legislative branch of government, where solons make it difficult for a law to be passed because many of our legislators want what is best for them and not what is best for the country.

Last week, the nation was again interrupted with the sensational drama of the Bureau of Corrections and the former DOJ Secretary that unfolded before our eyes. There was too much theatrics raising our blood pressure making the criminal, the star of the day. Susmariosep! So what’s next?

After knowing the hideous and alarming details of what is happening inside the supposedly “New” Bilibid Prison that we Indios have no clue of, we have become more paranoid of public service. It feels like government always likes to put one over its citizens. Sanamagan!

I hope that the President will seriously set-up the People’s Broadcasting Corporation which he promised in his SONA and instruct his Secretary of Presidential Communications Operation, Martin Andanar to focus on this endeavor. He should leave all the talking to the Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella so that the message of Malacañang is clear to all. If you have three spokesmen talking on behalf of the president, it will only create more misunderstanding and misinterpretation, then Duterte is doomed. He already has communication issues as it is, which by the way, needs a lot of introspection.

The public network will surely bring more transparency to the citizens. If each department gives the public a report of their work, showing us the inside and outside of their sectors and making every Filipino involved in public service and nation building then we will not be in for any surprises like what just happened in the congressional probe on Bilibid.

Anyway going back to the glaring news on Bilibid, we should understand that De Lima is being questioned because she was the former DOJ Secretary on top of the Bureau of Corrections. And under her watch, she should have already implemented Republic Act 10575 – On Strengthening the Bureau of Corrections: the State shall provide for the modernization, professionalization and restructuring of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) by upgrading its facilities, increasing the number of its personnel, upgrading the level of qualifications of their personnel and standardizing their base pay, retirement and other benefits, making it at par with that of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP). This act includes the BuCor’s custodial, rehabilitation and reformation components.

But what happened? She allegedly involved herself in a web of mischiefs. But more disturbing is how a prison has transformed into a “Little Las Vegas.” Are not prisoners supposed to suffer some curtailment of rights as part of their punishment? The Constitution prohibits cruel, degrading or inhuman punishment. Republic Act 7438 recognizes the convicted prisoner’s right to counsel, and visitation by immediate family, priest, medical doctor, and counsel subject to the rules that may be imposed by prison authorities for security and prevention of escape. International conventions also provide, among others, correspondence and visitation rights, division of prisoners into classes to facilitate rehabilitation, non-discrimination, respect of religious beliefs, and the retention of basic human rights and freedoms under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights except for the limitations necessitated by the fact of incarceration. Yet, no law allows convicted prisoners to have cellphones or do the illegal activities discovered in a series of Oplan Galugad and corroborated by testimonies of witnesses at the congressional hearing.

The Bureau of Corrections has seven operating units located nationwide: New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa, The Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong (and in Mindanao, Panabo, Davao), Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Palawan, Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Occidental Mindoro, San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm in Zamboanga, Leyte Regional Prison and the Davao Prison and Penal Farm. There are also 1,130 city, district, municipal and provincial jails around the country housing almost 200,000 prisoners (90,000 plus are detainees while 95,000 plus are sentenced). By the way, all of our jails have an average of 1000% congestion. They are overcrowded. As of 2015 the top 3 are: Malolos City Jail, San Pedro Municipal Jail and General Trias Municipal Jail.

* * *

On a lighter note, I would like to congratulate a very good friend of my late father, Geronimo Berenguer de los Reyes, Jr. for being recognized by Forbes Magazine as one of the top philanthropist heroes of 2016.

My father always spoke about this man who was a dashing and athletic football varsity star of De La Salle College during their time. Acknowledging all the works that Tito Gene was had success with, my dad once wrote, “In a sense, the serious soccer field injury which busted both his knees (thus ending his glory-days as a “jock”) started him off on the more dangerous and exciting playing field of business.”

Tito Gene as I fondly call him is the Chairman Emeritus of Gateway Property Holdings, Inc. (GPHI), a company engaged real estate development and is the holding company of Gateway Business Park (GBP). GBP is Cavite’s premier industrial park, established in 1989 (in General Trias). It houses 23 multinational and domestic companies engaged in diverse manufacturing endeavors and products such as semi-conductor parts, detergents, etc. It is also home to INTEL and is now home to Analog, Cypress, Unilever, among other international corporations. GBP employs over 25,000 workers and is the second highest business park in export sales performance (2013) among PHILEA members.

By the way, he has a fantastic collection of vintage photographs of the Philippines at the close of the 19th and 20th century displayed in his GBR Museum in General Trias. His valuable collection of pictures cover scenes of the Philippine-Spanish War and World War II depicting our Filipino forefathers way of life, their struggles, heroism and triumphs. He also has a foundation that supports the rehabilitation of Catholic parishes. He has built “Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish Church” also in General Trias, Cavite and has turned over the church to the Diocese of Imus. If you have time, I suggest you bring your family, friends and balikbayan visitors to the museum.

Like Tito Gene, I believe there are many Filipinos out there who in one way or the other have contributed so much to the shaping and the making of our country. This kind of breed is not like an oligarch who festers on the country’s resources but one that has succeeded through sheer hard work and compassion, tilling the soil and burning the midnight oil. Kudos Tito Gene may there be more Filipinos out there who can be inspired by your admirable work.