Preso sa Bilibid, nag-reklamo sa 'walang-lasa' na pagkain sa kulungan

When it comes to prison management, Philippines has a lot of problems. Aside from overcrowded jailhouses, most inmates also suffer from a shortage of food supply. Some inmates revealed the extent of the problems they're dealing inside jail.

The New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa is one of the most overcrowded jails in the country. Housing more than 26,000 inmates, the crammed cells of Bilibid is simply not enough to hold every prisoner. In addition to that, inmates also have to deal with their stretched-out meal budget.

In 2018, the government decided to allot a P60-meal daily budget per inmate, as per the national budget. However, according to some informants from Bilibid, this is far from reality. Apparently, inmates are only given a P39 meal budget, which is P21 short of the suggested meal allowance.

This revelation came from Angeline Bautista who caters to the food supply in Bilibid. According to Bautista, in 2018, she was chosen to supply food for the Correctional Institute for Women at the bidding price of P39 per person per day.

In this questionable system, inmates are the ones taking the blow. Geoffrey Gamboa, a Bilibid inmate, revealed that the shortage of food leads to health-related issues inside the jailhouse:

"Sa totoo lang, puro sabaw, walang laman, at walang lasa kaya namamatay ang preso dahil walang bitaminang kinakain." 

Senator Ping Lacson shifted attention to this matter during the senate discussion for the good conduct time allowance of the inmates. On the other hand, the Bureau of Corrections claimed that the excess budget will be turned over to the National Treasury.

Do you think BuCor should be reprimanded for their lapses? Don't hesitate to share your thoughts with us in the comments section below. For more updates on the latest happenings, feel free to follow us on Facebook.