It looks like that no one seems to care. Big time politicians do not care because many of them will not suffer human degradation and cruelty as they have their own luxurious or liveable cells to stay if ever they are accused or found guilty of a crime.
President Duterte needs to address this urgent issue. But in recent talk of Mr. Justice Secretary Aguirre which appeared on social media, it looks like the National Penitentiary planned in Nueva Ecija is temporarily shelved or halted waiting for some funding but no reason was specifically provided by the Secretary. People around the President need to help raise this issue.
In an ABC News, updated on 20 September 2017, for Lateline authored by Ginny Stein online with the article entitled as “Philippine prisons overflowing with hungry inmates as Duterte’s drug war intensifies”.
Ginny Stein cited the increased activities in drug war precipitated or led the Philippine jails to a breaking point. At Quezon City, Metro Manila jail alone which was built for 262 inmates this has gone over the roof to more than 10 times now or with about 3,095 inmates.
It is sad that local and national politicians don’t think of them. The reason they are oblivious of the current state or conditions of the inmates is that they will deserve to have a better place or would not be a place for them because they can bribe their way out of the prisons and they have different set up than those poor litigants. They can post the bail and they can bribe the people around to stay for a better place inside the cells.
It is terrifying conditions and my only assistance to this less fortunate people is to raise them up to proper authority or authorities to give them a decent place to stay while their cases are heard.
Human Rights Watch or those other non-government organisations can focus more on those alive than those already killed or attend to both as needed.
The tragedy in the Philippine justice system is that it takes a while to hear the case and by the time the case is heard, the accused must have spent more time than the period or term of their sentence.
The Supreme Court which is responsible for speedy justice and policy, the legislature for funding requirements or appropriation and the Executive for taking temporary steps including the City government are not doing anything or enough to address the issue. This overcrowding jails issue has been obvious in the Philippine history and until now with sharp increased due to the drug war, the same has not been genuinely attended.
The community needs to raise this appalling condition of the Philippine prisons nationwide and demand speedy justice and better place and treatment of the inmates awaiting trials. They are not all criminals in the very sense of the word.
Let us all be human for a day or so!
