Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla laid down the adherence of the Philippines to the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners and UN Standard Minimum Rules for Non-Custodial Measures, or the Tokyo Rules.
This was enumerated by Remulla as he spoke yesterday on the occasion of the side event of the 52nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Remulla said in his talk that at the outset the administration of President Marcos, “is well-aware of the problems of the Philippine prison system. It is not blind to the cries of persons deprived of liberty, their families and friends.”
“We do not see numbers, ladies and gentlemen but human beings with dignity and rights. That is why instituting reforms to our correctional system is a cornerstone of our present administration through the Department of Justice which I lead.”
As a brief background, Remulla said the DOJ has three agencies that cater to PDLs who had been convicted by final judgment, the Bureau of Corrections, Parole and Probation Administration, and the Board of Pardons and Parole.
He said that under the Department of Interior and Local Government is the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology which exercises supervision and control over all city and municipal jails including their establishment and maintenance.
Remulla said that like other developing countries, the Philippines is beset by challenges in instituting reforms to conform with relevant international human rights treaties, norms and standards. That is made to ensure that PDLs continue to enjoy all their other fundamental human rights while in detention.
The justice chief said that the country remains steadfast in addressing these challenges. “Overcrowded jails and prisons are actually a by-product of the confluence of systemic issues that beset the five pillars of our criminal justice system: law enforcement, prosecution, judiciary, corrections and community. The approach of our new administration is a whole nation, all government solution to every step of the criminal justice process,” said Remulla as he addressed the delegates in the said international event.