“The cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment persists, and so does our fight for dignity, justice, and humanity inside prisons where rights are routinely denied.”

By Marjuice Destinado
Bulatlat.com

CEBU – Political prisoners and persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) at the Negros Occidental District Jail (NODJ) in Bago City launched a hunger strike on Wednesday, December 3, denouncing “cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment” inside the facility.

The hunger strike coincides with the International Day of Solidarity with Political Prisoners and draws support from church leaders, human rights groups, and families of detainees calling for accountability, particularly under the leadership of NODJ Warden Crisyrel Awe who was recently reinstated despite prior allegations of abuse.

According to detainees and rights groups, conditions inside NODJ deteriorated under the leadership of Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) Negros Island Region Director Brendan Fulgencio and worsened further when Awe resumed command. 

PDLs said that following the August 24–28 noise protest that briefly led to Awe’s resignation, retaliatory measures were imposed, including 16-hour padlocking of cell doors that endanger inmates during emergencies, collective punishment of entire cells, denial of Good Conduct Time Allowance for protest participants, and irregular sun exposure schedules that either expose detainees to extreme heat or leave them without sunlight.

They also cited lack of medical supplies, reduced food rations, inadequate ventilation in congested cells, selective participation in rehabilitation programs, humiliating visiting procedures and lack of transparency in commissary operations. 

Their subsistence allowance reportedly remains at P40 ($0.68) per day for three meals, well below the P70 ($1.19) mandated by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

Moreover, the hunger strike comes in the wake of the November 7 death of detainee Warlito Turbela which inmates directly link to the worsening conditions and systemic neglect under Awe’s reinstated leadership. 

The protests also draw attention to the case of political prisoner Lorenzo “Tisoy” Perolino, a negotiator during the August 24–28 protests. He was subjected to prolonged solitary confinement. The Regional Trial Court Branch 44 of Bacolod City later ruled this as a human rights violation, granting a Writ of Habeas Corpus and ordering his return to his regular cell

Inmates also reported being red-tagged as members of the “communist terrorist group,” stripping them of recognition as political prisoners and exposing them to harassment, fabricated charges, and retaliation.

PDLs described a facility where intimidation, arbitrary punishment, and unchecked discretion routinely override the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, the BJMP Operations Manual, Republic Act No. 7438 (Rights of Persons Arrested, Detained and Under Custodial Investigation), and the Anti-Torture Act.

“The cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment persists, and so does our fight for dignity, justice, and humanity inside prisons where rights are routinely denied. We will not be silenced. We resist. We demand accountability,” the detainees said in a joint statement. 

Degrading treatment

Among the most alarming allegations are those involving the wives and women visitors of detainees. According to multiple accounts, they were subjected to degrading searches of their private parts upon entering the facility and again immediately after conjugal visits. 

Caritas Philippines President and Diocese of San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza described these procedures as “extremely disturbing” and urged an immediate investigation, stressing that no security protocol should ever violate the rights and dignity of women visitors.

PDLs also reported being barred from attending mass celebrated by visiting priests. Educational and livelihood programs were allegedly stopped while private belongings were confiscated without due process. 

“Bringing attention to their suffering behind prison walls, this fast is not merely a protest. It is a witness against injustice, cruelty, and neglect that pierces to heaven and appeals to the conscience of all people,” Alminaza said.

Through their protest, political prisoners called for systemic reforms, including the immediate release of all political detainees, particularly the elderly, sick, and National Democratic Front peace consultants protected under the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees. 

They also urged the abolition of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and the repeal of the Anti-Terrorism Law and other measures used to criminalize dissent.

The detainees demanded the removal of abusive and corrupt jail officials, as well as an increase in their daily food allowance to P100 ($1.69) and medicine allowance to P25 ($42). (AMU, DAA)