Inmates' daily food budget still capped at P70

MANILA, Philippines — The government is proposing to keep the daily meal budget for persons deprived of liberty at P70 each due to concerns that any increase would drive up food costs for other personnel.

At the budget hearing for the Department of Justice on Wednesday, minority lawmaker Rep. France Castro (ACT Teachers) questioned Justice Secretary Boying Remulla over the meager allowances allocated for PDLs in the proposed 2024 budget of the Bureau of Corrections despite higher food prices and inflation.

The proposed budget for the Bureau of Corrections caps each PDL’s food allowance to P70 daily, while medical allowances are capped at P15 daily — the same amounts allocated in the 2022 budget.

Remulla said that the DOJ had requested a P30 increase to the P70 daily food allowance and a P15 increase to the P30 medical allowance — but this was shot down by the Department of Budget and Management.

“The DBM didn't provide what the DOJ needed. The prison congestion is severe, with a congestion rate of 383%. What we asked for to address this was P23 billion to build new facilities and decongest (the facilities), but the government didn't allocate any funds for this,” Remulla said in Filipino.

Before the DBM finalizes the preparation of the National Expenditure Plan, department heads submit their proposed budget for the DBM to review, adjust and approve.

During the hearing, a DBM representative explained that any rise in the food allowances for PDLs would escalate food expenses for other government personnel

“The decision during the budget deliberations is to maintain the levels,” a representative of the DBM said.

“We also want to state that if we give the P130 billion being asked under the Bureau of Corrections, we would also like to consider that as far as our counterparts and uniformed personnel and military, their subsistence is only at 150 per day,” the DBM representative added.

An organization promoting the rights of PDLs said the disparity between the treatment of PDLs and the compensation of top executives is "disheartening to witness” given that PDLs continue to live in dire conditions.

“While the compensation of top executives at the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) increased by a staggering 175.72 percent, bringing their total compensation to P72.244 million in 2022, the allocation for PDLs remains disproportionately low,” said Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA).

“This stark inequality in resource distribution raises serious questions about our society's priorities and values,” SELDA added.

The gap between the budget for PDLs and the budget for the compensation of ranking government officials “sends a message that our society values financial gain over the well-being and rehabilitation of our fellow citizens,” SELDA said.

SELDA called on the government to provide enough funding to ensure that the basic rights of PDLs are met.

“Adequate funding should be provided to ensure that PDLs have access to essential services, decent living conditions, and meaningful rehabilitation programs,” the group added.

In its 2022 audit report, the Commission on Audit found that the country’s jails are overcrowded by 367%, noting that slow court action has also led to a slight increase in the total number of detainees in 2022.

COA also found that nearly three out of five jail facilities in the country continue to house more detainees than their carrying capacity.