MANILA – Two wall fans, two rice cookers, and a water dispenser – essential amenities for political prisoners that could at least, ensure adequate standard of living in places of detention – are withheld by the jail guards at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) Maximum Security Compound for four months, a support group reported.

In a letter addressed to Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Gregorio Catapang and Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, support group Kapatid said that the political prisoners are the only group in the NBP without these basic amenities.

“To continue denying them these conveniences violates the United Nations (UN) Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, which call for equal access to essential amenities for all persons deprived of liberty, irrespective of their status, to ensure humane treatment,” Fides Lim, Kapatid spokesperson, said in a letter.

The Philippines joined 38 other nations that comprised the Group of Friends of the Nelson Mandela Rules or the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, which explicitly expresses its commitment to adopting necessary changes to improve conditions in the country’s detention facilities.

Rule 42 of the international rules state: “General living conditions addressed in these rules, including those related to light, ventilation, temperature, sanitation, nutrition, drinking water, access to open air and physical exercise, personal hygiene, healthcare, and adequate personal space, shall apply to all prisoners without exception.”

The essential amenities were brought to the NBP last October 19, 2024. They were informed that the items were ordered impounded by Deputy Director General for Security and Operations Assistant Secretary Gil Torralba.

Kapatid said the rice cookers allow for efficient bulk cooking, enabling the feeding of many political prisoners and persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) in congested places, “while reducing the risk of accidents from wood fire or gas stoves.” The water dispenser, the group said, would also address the severe water shortage and broken pipes at the prison.

The absence of these amenities to the political prisoners may also fall as a violation under the Rule 2 of the UN standard, stating that the present rules shall be applied impartially — explicitly stating that there should be no discrimination on grounds of race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, or any other status.

NBP is known for housing an overwhelming number of persons deprived of liberty (PDLs). The current record of congestion rate in the penitentiary is 250 percent – a population of 25,000 PDLs in 2024 when the facility could only accommodate 6,000.

“Asec Torralba’s justification for rejecting the two rice cookers (10-12 cups) and the water dispenser due to their supposed high power consumption is unfounded, considering their actual power usage. These devices typically consume only 300 to 700 watts, far below levels that could overload the system or pose fire hazards. In fact, such appliances are designed to be energy-efficient and safer alternatives,” Lim said.

She also added that BuCor’s insinuation that these appliances can only be allowed for medical purposes and must be approved by the BuCor Chief Medical Officer is unjustifiable. “The appliances in question are not medical in nature but intended to simply improve the daily living conditions of PDLs in the world’s third worst prison system.”

On February 15, Lim detailed the agonizing eight-hour process of delivering food donations for 50 political prisoners at the NBP Maximum, Medium, and Minimum Security Compounds. NBP removed three sacks of plain white rice, while the 480 bowls of rice porridge donated by Kawa Pilipinas were eventually allowed after long hours of assertion.

Kapatid received an “Indorsement” from Justice Undersecretary Deo Marco, who is in charge of the corrections cluster, to provide essential supplies and appliances to political prisoners. However, they have never received any response approving their request. Their request letter can be traced back to January 30. 

“Email exchanges can easily prove this agonizing process of paper trail purgatory, driven by bureaucratic obstruction from the highest BuCor level,” Lim noted.

A day after, she urged the DOJ, Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and Congress to investigate “torturous chokehold procedures” of the BuCor and lift arbitrary restrictions on food, soap, and medicines for PDLs.

The Philippines hosts the 2nd ASEAN Regional Corrections Conference 2025 in Puerto Princesa, Palawan from February 14 to 17, bringing prison leaders from 10 ASEAN nations namely Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Timor-Leste and Myanmar. Among the key issues discussed in the conference is the collective responsibility of ASEAN correctional institutions in shaping a “progressive and humane” prison system. Catapang is among the attendees of the event.

Aside from lifting the “torturous chokehold procedures implemented by BuCor and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP),” Lim called for the implementation of humane reforms on the ground. (RTS, RVO)