Closing down Bilibid a prison reform 'game changer'

[Lee]

Manila Times  Editorial April 17,2023

Quote

 

THE chief of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) has announced that the New Bilibid Prison will be closed down by 2028.

Bilibid's close to 30,000 inmates will be moved to regional prisons, and the 587-hectare facility in Muntinlupa City will be converted into a sprawling commercial hub.

Closing down Bilibid ends a long and often turbulent chapter in the history of the country's prison system. More significantly, it offers a chance to restructure that system to bring it closer to its mission to reform inmates and prepare them for reintegration into society.

To begin with, Bilibid is far from being an ideal prison. It is terribly congested; originally built to accommodate 6,000 inmates, its population has grown to five times that.

The prison is short of guards. The food is "below standard nutrition," according to one human rights group, contesting the claim of BuCor of "improved catering services based on value for money."

BuCor Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. said a budget of P77.7 billion has been proposed to upgrade the regional prisons where Bilibid's inmates will be transferred. It takes more than money, however, to get the regionalization program off to a good start.

No meaningful reform could take root unless the shadow government that has been running Bilibid is dismantled. This "evil empire" has survived countless attempts to break it down because it has managed to control practically every aspect of prison life. It does so by building a web of corruption within Bilibid's walls.

In his research paper, "Understanding the conditions of New Bilibid Prison: Implications for Integrated Reforms," Raymund Narag, an assistant professor at Southern Illinois University, describes a "culture of the penal institution" where prison officers and inmates "can generate social and political power ... a hierarchy of status in the prison community."

At the top of the social pyramid are the privileged inmates — criminals who are wealthy and influential enough to continue their nefarious operations even while imprisoned. Majority of these VIP, or "Very Important Preso," are drug lords whose cells are virtual suites complete with air-conditioning, Jacuzzi, videoke and Wi-Fi.

The cabal has established a strong bond with prisons officials to perpetuate their power through corruption and impunity

Bilibid's shadow government is responsible for the long string of anomalies that have been exposed through the decades. The occasional sweep of cells for contraband yields the usual stash of weapons and illegal drugs, but that hasn't stopped the thriving narcotics trade inside Bilibid.

Most recently, the murder of broadcaster Percy Mabasa has put Bilibid in sharp focus after it was found that the killing was planned inside the prison and carried out by a group of its inmates. The case became even more fascinating after the prisoner who helped organize the hit on Mabasa was himself killed inside Bilibid.

A high-level investigation of the Mabasa case has resulted in charges being filed against suspended BuCor chief Gerald Bantag and his deputy, Ricardo Zulueta.

The case apparently helped hasten the decision to close down Bilibid and redistribute its prisoners. Again, it must be emphasized that the prison system has to be cleansed first to prevent the tentacles of the prison's evil empire from growing back.

The Bureau of Corrections Act of 2013 provides the blueprint for modernizing the country's prison system. A key provision is to build more regional prisons with a population of not more than 2,000 inmates and with sufficient facilities for more efficient prison management.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla vowed to introduce "long-lasting and game changer prison reforms," among them the regionalization of prison facilities, and the transfer of the BuCor headquarters, the New Bilibid Prison, and the Correctional Institute for Women.

Last February, Remulla also told a forum on prison reforms in Geneva: "There are a lot of challenges in our mission to reform our jail and prison system in the Philippines, and our unique situation drives us to find new ways and outside-the-box solutions to hurdle them."

The challenges have been identified. All that Remulla has to do is see to it that the initiatives to address them do not lose momentum.

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.manilatimes.net/2023/04/17/opinion/editorial/closing-down-bilibid-a-prison-reform-game-changer/1887434

[Dave Hounddriver]

58 minutes ago, Lee said:

the 587-hectare facility in Muntinlupa City will be converted into a sprawling commercial hub.

I saw this in your link and I wonder if all the other verbiage is just a smoke screen for this part.  Following the money, as usual.

[Lee]

1 hour ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

I saw this in your link and I wonder if all the other verbiage is just a smoke screen for this part.  Following the money, as usual.

I had the same thought myself.

[JJReyes]

17 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

18 hours ago, Lee said:

the 587-hectare facility in Muntinlupa City will be converted into a sprawling commercial hub.

The move is a land grab.  "587-hectares to be converted into a sprawling commercial hub," says it all.  Bonifacio Global City (BGC) is the former Fort Bonifacio, a military complex.  The land became extremely valuable being located next to Makati Commercial.  During its earlier years, Bilibid was considered a model prison.  One of the crafts taught prisoners was carpentry.  My family has a mahogany table seating 10 persons done at the Bilibid prison carpentry shop.  The White House has several mahogany furniture that also came from this shop.

[Old55]

"Closing down Bilibid a prison reform 'game changer'"

Not a game changer at all this sadly typifies how Filipino politicians act.

Instead of addressing the root cause of the prison corruption endemic it will be moved to another location or spread around so it's not so evident. Same players same corruption. 

When that very valuable land is sold for redevelopment how much will be "redirected" to the elites, police leaders and politicians?

As much as I love and care about Philippines this corruption is getting old. 

[Possum]

2 hours ago, Old55 said:

As much as I love and care about Philippines this corruption is getting old. 

It's been getting old for a long time. The Philippine's own ombudsman estimates 20% of the budget goes to corruption. An old study by a US group estimates increased business costs at 30-40%. But it is so entrenched with the political dynasties that it cannot be fixed without a major change in the form of government. Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew said before he died that the Philippines could have been as Singapore is today but for the entrenched nobility that have been around since colonial days and the massive corruption.

per Yew

“Something had gone seriously wrong. Millions of Filipino men and women had to leave their country for jobs abroad beneath their level of education. Filipino professionals whom we recruited to work in Singapore are as good as our own. Indeed, their architects, artists, and musicians are more artistic and creative than ours. Hundreds of thousands of them have left for Hawaii and for the American mainland. It is a problem the solution to which has not been made easier by the workings of a Philippine version of the American constitution,” wrote LKY, who proposed that the problem may also be caused by Filipino culture itself. 

“The difference lies in the culture of the Filipino people. It is a soft, forgiving culture. Only in the Philippines could a leader like Ferdinand Marcos, who pillaged his country for over 20 years, still be considered for a national burial. Insignificant amounts of the loot have been recovered, yet his wife and children were allowed to return and engage in politics. They supported the winning presidential and congressional candidates with their considerable resources and reappeared in the political and social limelight after the 1998 election that returned President Joseph Estrada.” 

His last words on his view of the Philippines are certainly something to ponder. 

“Some Filipinos write and speak with passion. If they could get their elite to share their sentiments and act, what could they not have achieved?”

[mountainside]

2 hours ago, Greglm said:

Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew said before he died that the Philippines could have been as Singapore is today

I'm hopeful for Cebu City, and its aim to emulate Singapore.  Mayor Rama, with his efforts to bring Singaporean advisers and methods (port management, traffic solutions) to Cebu, seems sincere to me.  Don't reckon Cebu City will become Singapore in my lifetime, but my wife and I are looking forward to seeing the little Merlion at the roof of the Carbon night market.