Dela Rosa: Old inmates who’ve finished sentence choose to ‘overstay’ in prison

Senator Bato Dela Rosa on Wednesday inquired about the welfare of persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) who have completed the serving of their sentence but still choose to stay within country’s prison facilities for fear of adjusting to life outside prison.

According to Dela Rosa, former director general of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), these PDLs, mostly old and sickly, prefer to stay put since they are regularly fed and they fear going hungry outside because they have no more families or relatives to return to and take care of them.

“Ayaw talaga nilang [umalis]. Ang pakiusap nila, ‘Sir, maawa ka, sir, mabuti dito sa loob mayroon akong makakain, libre ako sa pagkain. Kung palalabasin nyo ako, wala na akong pamilyang babalikan,'” Dela Rosa said during the deliberation of the Senate finance subcommittee on the budget of the Department of Justice.

Dela Rosa relayed to the committee his personal experiences about the overstaying PDLs.

“Meron akong alam diyan na kaso na pinilit nating pinalayas, kasi ‘pag tapos na talaga ang sentence mo, you are free to go… No’ng kinabukasan, nag-report na kaagad ‘yung police station do’n sa labas, ‘Sir, ‘yung pinalabas niyo kahapon, sir, nandito na. Nakakulong ngayon dahil nagnakaw nanaman dahil gusto niya talagang mag-commit ng crime para makabalik diyan sa loob,’ dahil that is their home na talaga, ‘yung Bilibid,” Dela Rosa said.

Assistant Secretary Gabriel Chaclag, BuCor deputy director for administration, confirmed that the said issue exists but also stressed that they have a mechanism to resolve such interventions with the aid of stakeholders and volunteer organizations.

“Marami po talagang ayaw umuwi… We accommodate them just for humanitarian reasons, sir,” he said.

“At marami naman po tayong mga stakeholders na mga nagvo-volunteer, mga organizations na handang tumulong at sila po ‘yung ating kasama, kasangga, kapanalig sa ating mga pag-seserbisyo sa kanila, at isa diyan ang ICRC, the Jesuit Volunteers, and other humanitarian agencies. So meron po tayong mechanism, sir, na ginagawa natin sa intervention na ‘yan,” Chaclag said.

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Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)