By Civ Alonzo-Cruz
The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) announced in a virtual press conference on Wednesday, Dec. 8, that they are now preparing to allow a granular opening of “no-contact” visitation among persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) this Christmas season in its low-risk jail facilities.
It was also announced on Wednesday that the bureau is now COVID-free.
BJMP Spokesperson Chief Inspector Xavier Solda said that the bureau will slowly re-implement its “no-contact visitation” in low-risk areas, with specific requirements and limitations as to who can visit.
“Ibig po sabihin niyan, ‘yung mga pasilidad natin na nasa low risk areas at may pasilidad na or area na for non-contact visitation, ay papayagan nang magkaroon ng dalaw kaya lamang po may ibang kondisyon,” Solda said.
“We are still in the process of preparing for the granular opening of no contact visitation. If we will allow it or not in a particular jail, it will depend on the risk level in their area and the readiness of the facility to accommodate non-contact visitors,’’ he added.
Solda also clarified in a radio interview that some activities, such as hugging, in their facilities that were allowed pre-pandemic will be prohibited.
“Klaruhin ko lang, physical presence po ng mga pamilya sa mga facilities natin ang sinisiguro po namin. Wala na ho yung kagaya dati na nagkakaroon pa ng yakapan. Ngayon po talagang magkikita lang sila at mag-uusap kasi non-contact visitation po ang i-implement ng BJMP,” he added.
Solda said that there is no definite date yet as to when this policy will be implemented. He disclosed that some BJMP facilities in Cebu, Cordillera, and Metro Manila have started with the pilot run for the non-contact visitation and are just waiting for the directives of their respective regional directors.
“The soonest time na makumpleto ng mga jail facilities natin ‘yung mga requirements para sa non-contact visitation, partikular doon sa areas na dapat ay ma-designate natin, as well as the requirements for the health screening, then magre-resume na rin ang ating non-contact visitation,’’ he said.
Solda noted that visitors need to bring their vaccination cards showing that they are fully vaccinated together with valid government-issued IDs. They will also need to wait for their respective visiting schedules to avoid long queues and for easier crowd control management.
He also added that in the case of facilities that do not have enough areas to accommodate visitations, some will have to settle for electronic visitation or the BJMP’s e-Dalaw service.
E-Dalaw is a BJMP program that was put in place after the Bureau declared lockdowns in jails and suspended contact visitation since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of Wednesday, the BJMP announced that the bureau has zero active COVID-19 cases, in both its jail personnel and PDLs.
BJMP attributed the zero active COVID-19 cases in their facilities to the strict implementation of the “prevent, detect, isolate, treat and reintegrate” method of the Department of Health (DOH). – bny
