Senator Leila de Lima is urging the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to consider releasing qualified detainees in order to decongest prisons and prevent the spread of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) among Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDL).
In a statement, De Lima said the government should not to forget those behind bars and to protect those working in closed facilities.
She also said that due to the congestion of detention facilities, PDL’s cannot practice social distancing which makes them more at risk in contracting the disease.
Even with the enhanced community quarantine, De Lima said the number of arrested individuals keep piling up which leads detention centers to exceed its full capacity.
“Given the state of our jails and prisons, the infection rate will be catastrophic. We thus offer a solution: decongest our jails and prisons through a systematic release of qualified PDLs on humanitarian grounds,” she said.
The qualifications proposed by the senator are:
• Elder PDLs – 70 years old and above
• PDLs with serious illness or disability
• PDLs detained, pre-conviction, for minor non-violent offenses
• PDLs convicted for minor non-violent crimes
De Lima also stressed that those who committed heinous crimes should not be among being considered for early release.
“If done properly, we would be able to free up additional resources to improve the nutrition and sanitation in the jails and prisons for the remaining PDLs. This will also ease some pressure on the jail and prison health care facilities,” she said. AAC
