ILOILO CITY — Around 62.82 percent of the 9,595 persons deprived of liberty (PDL) or inmates who are in the custody of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology in Western Visayas (BJMP-6) have cases related to drugs.
In an interview Monday, Supt. Gilbert Peremne, Assistant Regional Director for Administration of BJMP-6, said all the 39 PDLs of the Aklan District Jail-Female Dormitory have drug cases.
Iloilo City District Jail-Female Dormitory in the village of Nanga, Pototan, Iloilo followed with 99.29 percent, or 140 out of 141 facing drug cases, and Iloilo City District Jail-Female Dormitory in this city with 90.16 percent, or 220 out of 244 PDLs have drug cases.
Peremne also disclosed that 60 of the PDLs with drug cases are high value drug personalities.
He assured though that high value drug personalities are segregated in a special intensive area with maximum security.
He said they were provided with rehabilitation through their specialized programs like the Therapeutic Community Modality Program and the Special Psychological Emotional Component Session (SPECs).
Peremne noted the surge in the number of PDLs with drug cases was the result of the strengthened campaign against illegal drugs by the current administration.
“Our number of PDLs ballooned three months after the Philippine National Police implemented the (Oplan) Tokhang,” he said.
Peremne recalled that during that year, the PDLs in the jail units in the region ballooned to 11,000, higher than the current 9,595 PDLs.
“It is because many have already been convicted and sent to Muntinlupa (New Bilibid Prison). Imagine, we are sending around 200 convicted PDLs there,” he said.
Also, the new Supreme Court (SC) ruling on plea bargaining in illegal drug cases, wherein some PDLs caught with possession of very small quantities of shabu, marijuana, and other illegal drugs are now allowed under the new SC ruling to plead guilty to reduced jail sentences and lower fines.
Meanwhile, Peremne assured they are strictly monitoring the movement of PDLs in the different jail units in the region to ensure that all these jails are free from illegal drug trade.
The BJMP is also continuously conducting surprise inspections to ensure that PDLs are not maintaining prohibited items with them, he said. (Cindy Ferrer/PNA)
