BuCor to lift suspension of visitation privilege soon, says DOJ

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice said suspension of privilege of visitation to inmates of the New Bilibid Prison will soon be lifted.

The DOJ, citing a report from the Bureau of Corrections, said it is not true that there is a lockdown at the national penitentiary.

“What is true is that the BuCor suspended the privilege of visitation but for safety reasons since they are conducting demolitions,” the DOJ said.

READ: Explosion rocks Bilibid as demolition of illegal structures continues

The Justice department also said the suspension will soon be lifted as the bureau prepares for an improved system in allowing visitors.

Deaths in Bilibid

Earlier Friday, families of inmates at the New Bilibid Prison urged on the Corrections bureau to lift the lockdown in the Maximum Security Compound and to restore their right to visit ailing relatives.

KAPATID (Families and Friends of Political Prisoners) spokesperson Fides Lim also called attention to the situation of inmates inside the Bilibid’s maximum security compound where inmates died allegedly due to lack of medical attention.

Lim noted that news reports said that seven Bilibid inmates died in a span of four days.

Major Alberto Tapiruo, BuCor spokesman, said that deaths are not due to the ongoing demolition of illegal structures inside the NBP compound.

“They were previously confined in the NBP hospital,” he said, adding that more inmates remain inside the hospital.

Lim said in a statement: “Over-all, our broad demand is for all prisoners at the NBP to be accorded minimum humane treatment in accordance with the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners. These include prisoners’ access to relatives, lawyers, doctors, spiritual advisers, service providers and livable conditions with food, free access to water, sleeping quarters, as well as adequate medical care.”

But the DOJ denied that prisoners died due to dehydration or lack of medical attention.

“Director General [Gerald] Bantag already verified with the hospital and the doctors denied it. In fact, they have lots of supplies available including dextrose and [medicines],” the statement further read.

During a Senate hearing last October 3, NBP hospital director Ernesto Tamayo told senators that around 20% of maximum security inmates die every year mostly due to overcrowding.

READ: ‘Thousands of sick Bilibid prisoners die yearly’

There are around 27,165 inmates at the maximum security area, which can only accommodate 6,435, for a congestion rate of 322%. 

Tamayo clarified that the figure was due to the spread of contagious diseases such as pulmonary tuberculosis in the overcrowded jail cells.

Apart from natural causes, he said deaths from stab wounds during riots were included in their data. — with report from The STAR/Ghio Ong