MANILA, Philippines - The 1987 Constitution mandates that a criminal case must be decided within 90 days, but 54-year-old Matias Domequil has been in Manila City Jail for nine years waiting for his verdict. He is still innocent until proven guilty.
A former businessman, Matias has been abandoned by his family and lawyer since he was incarcerated. All of his properties have already been seized by the state. Yet his judge has not yet decided on his case for a variety of reasons.
He is one of thousands of inmates across the country in a twilight zone of uncertainty about their fate, victims of a slow and inefficient judicial system that can take years to hear even simple cases of theft.
Accused of illegal recruitment, Matias is growing old inside the decrepit Manila City Jail, a facility near Quiapo meant for barely 2000, now attempting to shelter nearly 4000.
I-WITNESS host Howie Severino and his documentary team follow Matias and two other long-time jail inmates as they navigate through this earthly purgatory, attending court hearings and surviving a captive society of sad and lonely men. All of them have vainly hoped for a speedy end to their ordeal.
With less than one in five cases ending in convictions, many inmates will eventually be declared innocent, but only after years in jail.
The documentary also features stark and compelling black-and-white photographs by award-winning documentary photographer Rick Rocamora of life inside these congested and sordid halfway houses.
Catch Purgatoryo tonight with Howie Severino after Saksi on GMA-7.