The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) is “gravely alarmed” by the high number of recorded deaths of persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) in correctional facilities.
Citing data from the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), CHR said 1,166 PDLs died in 2021, the highest figure recorded in 32 years. While 700 deaths have been recorded from January to September this year.
“These numbers depict a cruel reality for PDLs across the country,” it said in a statement released on Wednesday, Nov. 2.
The Commission noted that the safety of PDLs and staff is endangered by “overcrowding of detention facilities—coupled with poor hygiene and ventilation issues” along with the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It reminded the government of its responsibility of ensuring a humane correctional system for PDLs.
If deaths continue and this problem would be neglected, CHR warned that the country may be placed at "serious risk of betraying its international commitments."
“These untimely deaths may likely rob PDLs of due process and even halt the progress of justice for their victims. Such circumstances affect the justice system at large,” it underscored.
CHR urged the government to establish a National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) to “address conditions of PDLs that may be tantamount to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment or torture.”
The Commission also asked the government to prioritize and fasten decongestion efforts; consider the use of non-custodial alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent, non-serious offenders and uphold their fundamental right to a fair trial and speedy disposition of their cases; and grant executive clemency for qualified detainees, especially the elderly and the ailing.
"CHR reminds the government of its obligation to treat all prisoners with respect for their inherent dignity and value as human beings," it further said.
