Officials from the Department of the Interior and Local Government,(DILG), the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) gathered on Thursday, July 26, 2007, at  Malacañang’s Mabini Hall for a meeting presided by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita.

        Among those present were DSWD Secretary Esperanza Cabral, DILG Undersecretary Marius Corpus, BJMP chief Director Armando M Llamasares, PAO’s head lawyer Persida Rueda-Acosta, General Rudy Diaz  who represented Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, ICRC delegation Felipe Donoso,  Florence Dapples, Jutta Bachmann and John Guillame, and several other officials from the five pillars of the Criminal Justice System.

        The meeting was called by Malacañang to thresh out the ICRC’s observation contained in their report on the shortcomings of the Philippine Criminal Justice System and their consequences to persons in the custody of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.

        The ICRC delegation in their report mentioned the slow processing of inmate’s release on bail and the protracted resolution of their cases result to overcrowding that expose them to malnutrition and diseases.  The delegation also noted that inmates are confined in what they described sub-standard facilities and are not given basic services.  The ICRC report revealed that such situation affects the jail personnel and has knock-on ill effects on society as a whole, with grave repercussions for the families of inmates and for the jail staff and their families.

        The BJMP chief briefed the visiting ICRC delegation about the Philippine Correctional System, particularly the BJMP, focusing on its operational jurisdiction and resources, major programs and accomplishments, and the problems and challenges it faces. Llamasares made several recommendations to address the problems BJMP faces and the actions being taken.  The BJMP chief said the establishment of an integrated jail is the most logical move to solve overcrowding in jails.   Llamasares said the Metro Manila Integrated Jail is proposed to be built on a 96-hectare land in Pintong Bukawe, San Mateo, Rizal, once President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo issues a Presidential Proclamation awarding the said land and eventually releases the 300 million pesos to start the horizontal development of the project.

        The ICRC head of delegation, on the other hand, said ICRC is engaged in an effort to raise awareness and build political will about detention-related issues among the most senior Philippine authorities in the Judiciary, Executive and the Legislature thru a series of bilateral meetings.

        He (Donoso) added that ICRC is ready to help the government in initiatives to strengthen dialogue among all concerned agencies to find short-tern and long-term solutions to the problems in jails.  The ICRC, if allowed by concerned authorities could approach national and international experts and practitioners in the relevant field of expertise and facilitate their involvement in discussions with authorities on measures to improve conditions in jails,  hasten disposition of inmates’ cases and unclog the criminal justice system.