Kinalampag ng Commission on Human Rights (CHR) ang pamahalaan na maging tapat sa pagre-report ng sitwasyon sa loob ng mga jail at detention facilities ngayong COVID-19 pandemic.
Reaksyon ito ng CHR sa mga ulat kamakailan na ilang persons deprived of liberty (PDL) na ang namatay dahil sa “respiratory illness” o komplikasyon sa baga.
Ayon sa komisyon, makakatulong ang impormasyon ng PDL deaths para makabuo ng mga polisiya na magbibigay kaligtasan sa mga inmates.
“With the existing poor conditions in prison populations, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has since expressed concern for the plight of PDLs as the country continues to confront the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Batay sa tala ng Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), as of March 2020, nasa 534-percent ang congestion rate sa mga kulungan. Sakop ng datos na ito ang mga PDL na nakabinbin pa ang kaso sa korte.
Sa hiwalay na tala naman ng Bureau of Corrections noong December 2019, 302-percent ang congestion rate nito sa kanilang mga pasilidad.
Hanggang sa ngayon ay wala pa rin daw tugon ang Department of Justice at BuCor sa inquiry ng CHR hinggil sa bilang nga mga namatay na PDL sa New Bilibid Prison.
Pati na ang estado ng testing, listahan ng PDL na naka-confine sa isolation facility nitong “Site Harry,” at kabuuang sitwasyon ng national penitentiary sa COVID-19 pandemic.
“BuCor Spokesperson Gabriele P. Chaclag was able to provide some responses, but the Commission still needs to coordinate with other agencies for other important concerns.”
“CHR has also recently received complaints from families of PDLs through our CHR NCR Office, which we commit to investigate.”
Binigyang diin ng CHR ang pahayag ng National Privacy Commission na nagsabing hindi maaaring gamitin ang Data Privacy Act para pagtakpan ang karapatan ngpublikong makaalam ng impormasyon.
“Public interest in the face of alleged deaths of high-profile inmates due to Covid-19, necessitates disclosure of relevant information about their deaths—both in the interest of justice, as well as in crafting sensible ways forward in preventing further deaths in prisons and detention facilities.”
“We too must bear in mind the unspoken case of PDLs detained in these facilities whose welfare and rights are equally important.”
Ipinaalala rin ng komisyon ang kapangyarihan nito sa ilalim ng Konstitusyon na mabisita ang mga pasilidad.
“This is a mandate that should not be ignored, especially by BuCor, BJMP, as well as DOJ and the Department of the Interior and Local Government, for the sake of thousands of PDLs whose lives are at stake with the continuing risks of rampant infection.”
