CHR chair finds BJMP commits human rights violation vs Bataan inmates

Commission on Human Rights (CHR) chair Etta Rosales on Saturday said personnel of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) committed human rights violation in their treatment of inmates, who held noise barrage last week at the Bataan Provincial Jail here.

“Definitely, there were human rights violation,” the CHR head said after talking with prisoners.

She cited two reasons for BJMP’s violation, one, there was no consultation in the demolition of kubol/tarima or makeshift cubicles and two, there were injuries inflicted.

She said truncheons were used and seeing those injured, there was no doubt that human rights abuses were inflicted.

Rosales said prisoners claimed that they should not have conducted noise barrage had BJMP informed them about its plan of constructing new ones. The makeshift cubicles are used by the inmates and their wives during conjugal visit scheduled every Saturday.

“Dapat makatao trato sa mga detinido at iyan ang tinitingnan ng CHR sa pagbisita sa inyo (The detainees should be treated humanely and this what the CHR is looking for when we visited here),” she told detainees who clapped their hands in appreciation.

She said they would conduct a wide-ranging investigation on the matter to pinpoint culpability.

She noted that justice system is also a major problem with inmates languishing in jail for long years.

“Nagtatagal ang kaso, ito ang dapat ayusin ng gobyerno (The case has long been overdue and this is what the government should look into),” she said.

Later in the day, she held a dialogue with representatives of families of the inmates and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP).

IBP-Bataan counted on Monday 42 injured during Saturday’s unrest when members of media were totally barred inside the jail.

Lawyer Emiliano Pomer, IBP-Bataan president, said the problem on the justice system mentioned by Rosales is a problem not unique in Bataan but in all provinces due to insufficient number of prosecutors.

Pomer said in Bataan alone, the provincial prosecutors’ office needs eight prosecutors but it has only three.

Balanga City has one that requires three prosecutors. –US News Agency / Asian