The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) expresses concern over the reported case of inadequate resources for persons deprived of liberty (PDLs), particularly at the Negros Occidental District Jail (NODJ) in Bago City. The CHR stands in solidarity with the PDLs in their appeal to lawmakers for an increased budget for food and medicine.
Reports indicate that approximately 700 inmates from the NODJ have submitted a petition to Negrense lawmakers Gerardo Valmayor, Alfredo Marañon III, Stephen Joseph Paduano, Emilio Bernardino Yulo, Greg Gasataya, Juliet Marie Ferrer, and Mercedes Alvarez, requesting a P100 daily food allowance per inmate, along with a P30 daily budget for medicine. Currently, the daily meal allowance per PDL is P70, while the daily medicine allowance is P14.
Consistent to our call, the CHR has also issued a statement backing the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology’s (BJMP) appeal for increased budget allocations for PDLs’ food and medical allowances, emphasising Article 10 (Para. 1) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which affirms that PDLs should be treated with humanity and respect for their inherent dignity. (https://bit.ly/3ABKkxL)
The United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, also known as the Nelson Mandela Rules, provides that the provision of health care for PDLs is a State responsibility. PDLs should be able to enjoy the same standards of health care that are available in the community, and must be given access to necessary healthcare services free of charge without discrimination on the grounds of their legal status.
The Mandela Rules also states that every PDL shall be provided by the facility administration with food of nutritional value adequate for health and strength. Such food must be of wholesome quality, well prepared, and served at the usual hours of meals.
In the exercise of our prevention mandate, the CHR echoes the urgent call from PDLs and the jail management sector for an increase in the budget allocated for food and medicine, not just in NODC but in all places of deprivation of liberty across the country. Access to nutritious food and essential healthcare is a fundamental human right, guaranteed to all individuals regardless of their circumstances—including those in conflict with the law. It is imperative that these rights are upheld within our correctional and detention facilities.
We urge our lawmakers, together with other relevant authorities, to respond to this appeal so that PDLs may live with dignity and receive the care they are entitled to while waiting and/or serving their sentences.
After all, proper nutrition and adequate medical attention are integral to maintaining human dignity and fostering true and genuine rehabilitation within our penal system. ###