MANILA, Philippines — Only 474 out of the more than 48,000 Persons Deprived of Liberty in Bureau of Corrections facilities have so far been vaccinated against COVID-19, spokesperson Gabriel Chaclag said.
Not one of the inmates in the national penitentiary, New Bilibid Prison, has received jabs against the coronavirus, he added.
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Chaclag on Friday said the inoculation of inmates is “dependent on vaccination program of the local government unit where the prison camp is located.”
So far, 200 inmates from the Correctional Institute for Women, 214 from San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm in Zamboanga City and 60 from Davao Prison and Penal Farm have received jabs.
Chaclag said the PDLs who received vaccines are all senior citizens, who are currently under the A2 priority vaccination category.
With an estimated number of more than 48,000 inmates under BuCor custody, this puts a 0.98% vaccination rate in the bureau.
The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, which manages facilities for inmates serving less than three sentences and undergoing trial, meanwhile has reported that nearly 9% of PDLs under its custoday have been vaccinated, according to a report by The STAR.
Dependent on LGUs
The BuCor spokesperson said they are appealing to LGUs to include inmates in their vaccination program. “But they are prioritizing staff. Not all personnel have been vaccinated,” he added.
For inmates in Bilibid, Chaclag said: “The Muntinlupa LGU is working but they have priorities.”
Other facilities under BuCor management are Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Puerto Princesa City, Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Occidental Mindoro and Leyte Regional Prison in Abuyog, Leyte.
Penal and detention facilities across the country are known to be overcrowded, where social distancing and proper hygiene — practices meant to deter spread of the novel coronavirus — are practically impossible for inmates.
COVID-19 cases among inmates in the Bureau of Correction facilities, including the New Bilibid Prison, went as high as 251 in September 2020 with at least 26 fatalities.
The SC and Department of Justice have issued policies to help decongest the prisons that allowed the release of thousands of inmates. BuCor meanwhile has locked down its facilities, barring physical visitation.