MANILA, Philippines — Rights group Kapatid on Thursday called on the Bureau of Corrections to restore electricity in prison dormitories and to supply inmates at the New Bilibid Prison with clean drinking water.
"The restoration of electricity 24/7 as well as providing immediate shelter, medical care, drinking water and decent food is of urgent humanitarian concern that has to be done now to stem the rise of deaths at the Bilibid," Fides Lim, spokesperson of Kapatid (Families and Friends of Political Prisoners), said.
Lim stressed that their call for the BuCor does not end with the lifting of the supposed 20-day lockdown, a lockdown that the bureau denies happened.
The bureau has restored the visitation privileges of inmates’ families on October 30. They said they temporarily suspended it for the safety of visitors during the ongoing demolition of illegal structures and “kubols” or shanties inside the NBP.
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Deaths inside Bilibid
Lim also pointed out that during the time that the BuCor was not allowing visitors, 29 prisoners died due to illnesses.
“The BuCor says the reported deaths are a natural occurrence and not a result of the lockdown. But these prisoners died while they were in the custody of the BuCor, mostly of sicknesses that were exacerbated by abysmal health care, extreme congestion and the lack of the most basic necessities which are food, water and shelter,” Lim said.
Data from the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) showed that 10 convicts died of communicable diseases while 14 others died of non-communicable ailments. Five inmates have yet to be undergo autopsies.
Six inmates died of pneumonia. Four others died of tuberculosis.
Seven inmates died of heart-related illnesses. The remaining five died of sepsis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic kidney disease, liver disease and peritonitis or tissue inflammation in the abdominal wall, respectively.
'Nothing out of the ordinary'
Justice Undersecretary Deo Marco said that the Bureau reported that there was “nothing out of the ordinary” in the cited deaths which are not related to the demolition operations.
Lim said when Kapatid, and Reps. Carlos Zarate and Ferdinand Gaite (Bayan Muna) and Rep. Frances Castro (ACT) went to Bilibid last October 29, they saw inmates standing under the sun "because they lost their living spaces during the demolition operations."
She said that the Corrections bureau should allow the International Committe of the Red Cross to put up tents inside the Bilibid compound for inmates who lost their living quarters. This would give the prisoners “emergency shelter and rains to avert more sicknesses and severe dehydration,” she added.
Lim also stressed that while their proposed solutions are short-tem, “they spell life and death for prisoners.”
The Corrections bureau was asked for comment on Kapatid’s statement, but has yet to reply as of this story’s posting. — Kristine Joy Patag with a report from The STAR/Ghio Ong