BuCor: 50% of prisoner deaths due to congestion

THE BUREAU of Corrections (BuCor) on Tuesday said that about 50% of persons deprived of liberty (PDL) deaths in correctional facilities were caused by congestion.

BuCor Director General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang, Jr. confirmed this upon Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian’s questioning during the agency’s budget hearing.

“The health of prisoners is really a problem,” he told the panel, noting the agency is moving PDLs to correctional facilities outside of Metro Manila as part of its decongestion efforts.

He added some prisoner deaths were caused by the spread of tuberculosis cases in correctional facilities.

In the same hearing, the Finance Committee, led by Mr. Gatchalian, deferred budget deliberations for the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) due to the absence of its chief prosecutor.

PAO Chief Persida V. Rueda-Acosta could not attend the hearing due to an “official travel abroad.”

“We will defer the budget of the PAO today. We will request from them a date that is convenient and a date that will enable (Ms.) Acosta to come here to the Senate to present her budget personally,” he said.

Mr. Gatchalian added that the chamber requires all agency heads to present their budgets.

“This has been the practice for many years and across numerous budget briefings,” he added. “In fact, many agency heads have had to cancel trips to present their budgets personally.” — Adrian H. Halili