see:
http://www.cicr.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/philippines-feature-170310
17-03-2010 Feature
Philippines: saving lives in Antipolo City Jail
Overcrowding is a menace to health in many prisons in the Philippines. Yet something can be done – as one determined warden, armed with support from her hierarchy and from the ICRC, has shown. The ICRC’s Allison Lopez reports.
In June 2009, wearing her grey uniform and a cheerful smile, Superintendent Carolina Borrinaga started her new posting at the City Jail in Antipolo , a city some 30 kilometres east of the capital, Manila.
But Ms. Borrinaga’s smile slowly faded. When she began her rounds, she discovered sick inmates along the corridors and in dark corners of their cells. Hazardous smoke from burning firewood filled the air. The prisoners were unkempt and unreceptive to their new guardian.
"When I first arrived in Antipolo, my heart was breaking. There were many ill inmates. I'm used to jails – I used to inspect them – but this one was extraordinary because it was so overpopulated," she says, her voice cracking.
Overcrowding remains a serious concern for the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), which has administrative control over the country's 1,132 city, district and municipal jails. According to the Bureau, the jail population rose from about 35,000 prisoners in 2000 to more than 58,000 in August 2009.
High mortality rate
Antipolo City Jail, which was built to hold 200 inmates, according to international standards, had nearly 800. But unlike other jails, the jail also had an alarming mortality rate that prompted the Bureau to assign Carolina Borrinaga there. A later evaluation showed that about 100 prisoners had ailments ranging from tuberculosis to unattended gunshot wounds.
The situation was urgent – her most challenging assignment, as she said later. In a meeting with the mayor of Antipolo and the ICRC, Ms. Borrinaga asked for help in providing medical assistance to the prisoners and renovating the detention facility.
The response was swift and effective, thanks to good coordination:. the jail authorities established lists of sick inmates and obtained permits from the court for their transfer, the local government provided doctors, and the ICRC paid for X-rays, other diagnostic tests, and certain medicines.
At the same time, Ms. Borrinaga drew on lessons she had learned from being a member of three working groups of the "Call for Action" process launched by the ICRC in 2007 and endorsed by the jail management bureau.
Call for concerted action
The Call for Action process aims to coordinate efforts of the executive, legislative and judicial authorities to identify and address both the causes of jail congestion and their consequences on inmates’ health and living conditions.
Jean-Daniel Tauxe, head of the ICRC delegation in the Philippines, says: "The ICRC saw the need to work with the authorities to tackle the situation in jails, focusing on three main concerns: upgrading penal facilities, tuberculosis management in jails and the need to improve the criminal justice process for inmates. The Call for Action is a pilot project that began here, but we believe it may be replicated in other countries."
On 17 March 2010, top officials from Philippine agencies like the BJMP, Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Health, Congress and Supreme Court gathered at the "Call for Action" national conference to present the accomplishments of these initiatives, and to outline plans for future activities.
"These problems have long been identified but it's a matter of putting solutions into action,” says Carolina Borrinaga. “The Call for Action process helped us refocus our energy and resources, and reminded us that our mandate is not only safekeeping but development as well."
Implementing changes
Armed with inputs from the "Call for Action", and with full support of the Bureau, Ms. Borrinaga used Antipolo City Jail as a test site. She began overhauling the jail facility by purchasing a gas stove to eliminate smoke from firewood and by designating areas for drying clothes and smoking.
"She prioritized the inmates' health and she's very particular on hygiene. She's very active and dedicated in fixing the jail's problems," comments Juan Perfecto Palma, an ICRC nurse who has worked closely with the superintendent.
By the end of 2009, the wardress had made good on her promise to alleviate overcrowding with the inauguration of an annexe. This extension, built through a local prison ministries group with support from the ICRC, meets international standards on conditions of detention. Around 120 inmates are held there in greater comfort.
The transformation of the jail became more than just a physical facelift as the inmates—and their guards – started raising their self-esteem and taking responsibility for themselves.
"I tell them to value themselves. You leave your cases to the judge but how about you? How do you prepare for your life outside jail?" Ms. Borrinaga says.
Second chance
Inmates, she insists, deserve to be treated humanely and given a chance to live decently even behind bars.
"They are also human; they only live once. Those who have been there for years tell me it's the first time they have experienced this. Their stay in jail is an opportunity for them to change their lives. I just tell them, let this be a wake-up call for you," she remarks.
ICRC nurse Palma says: "Among the detention facilities I've been to, Antipolo is now one of the more progressive ones. We realize that the changes really depend on the dedication of the jail's management and the full commitment of the detaining authority."
Carolina Borrinaga believes she herself has been changed by her stint at Antipolo. "Touching the lives of these people also made me a better person. There are so many things you can do to help a lot of people. They just need someone to guide them," she says.
3-02-2010 Operational update
Philippines: protecting life and dignity in places of detention
The ICRC has been working with national authorities to address the causes of overcrowding in prisons and jails and its effect on inmates' living conditions and health. This is an update on these and other ICRC activities carried out in the Philippines in January 2010.
Improving conditions of detention
"Detention visits are the backbone of our operations in the Philippines, a country which has experienced decades of internal armed conflicts," said Jean-Daniel Tauxe, the ICRC's head of delegation in Manila. "We have seen that the overcrowding of jails and prisons has serious consequences on detainees' living conditions and health. Our usual practice of recommending improvements and providing technical support to the detaining authorities was not enough, so we developed a new, complementary strategy. In partnership with government officials and national agencies, we are planning and implementing changes for the benefit of all detainees."
Throughout 2009, the ICRC carried out 234 visits to over 66,000 detainees held in 139 places of detention. Together with the Philippine National Red Cross, the ICRC facilitated family visits for 312 inmates held far from their homes.
Access to safe water, sanitation, health care and acceptable living conditions is a major problem in overcrowded detention facilities. Last year, the ICRC:
* carried out renovation projects benefiting more than 11,000 inmates in 22 jails;
* supplied medical items and equipment to seven prison infirmaries and provided over 120 detainees needing immediate access to health care with the help they required;
* provided instruction for over 60 people in internationally recognized standards relating to water, sanitation, hygiene and living conditions generally in jails;
* assisted almost 2,000 detainees in four prisons affected by flooding in the aftermath of tropical storm Ondoy.
Another serious concern in overcrowded detention facilities is the spread of tuberculosis (TB). "Worldwide, tuberculosis is one of the leading causes of illness and death among inmates, and this is particularly true in countries with a high TB prevalence," said Dr Robert Paterson, an ICRC health coordinator. Overcrowding, an unhealthy manner of living and insufficient ventilation are among the factors that spread the disease among inmates. "You cannot keep TB behind bars: it readily escapes to affect the wider community, so controlling TB in jails is fundamental to protecting the general population against the illness."
Concerns about the spread of TB have prompted the ICRC to help implement the national tuberculosis programme, involving 30,000 inmates in seven pilot jails and prisons, in cooperation with the national agencies concerned and the World Health Organization.
Legal and procedural problems, which delay the processing of cases, are the root cause of overcrowding. Bringing together those who can address these issues is essential to finding durable solutions. A pilot project guided by this principle took place in Manila City Jail at the end of 2009. Representatives of the various agencies involved in processing inmates' files reviewed the most urgent cases, identified hurdles within the criminal justice system and provided means of overcoming them. As a result, a backlog of 250 cases was cleared. The strategy will expand to other jails in 2010.
The results of several initiatives addressing various aspects of jail congestion as well as suggestions for the future will be discussed at a national conference due to take place in Manila in March. Representatives of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, the Bureau of Corrections, the Supreme Court, the Department of Health and other national agencies will be attending.
Humanitarian situation
Active hostilities have been suspended since July 2009 in Central Mindanao, where about 100,000 people who fled their homes in August 2008 nevertheless remain displaced and still rely on aid provided on a regular basis by various agencies, including the ICRC and the Philippine Red Cross. The ICRC welcomes peace talks and other initiatives that may enable civilians to resume their normal lives. The prospects remain unclear, however.
Campaigning for presidential elections, set for May 2010, has gathered momentum against a backdrop of political instability. Assassinations, allegedly related to elections and culminating in the horrendous killing of 57 people in Central Mindanao, have triggered massive protests among Filipinos and the international community.
Acts of banditry and cases of kidnapping for ransom are common occurrences in the southern Philippines. In Sulu, which remains off limits for ICRC staff for security reasons, ICRC aid for people displaced by armed violence is channelled through local representatives of the Philippine Red Cross.
Frequent armed clashes between government forces and the New People's Army in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao are having an impact on the livelihoods of civilians and often limiting their access to basic services.
"Our staff regularly visit conflict-affected areas all over the Philippines, including remote villages where problems are often acute," said ICRC delegate Valerie Houetz. "We seek dialogue with all parties to conflict, to remind them that civilians and those no longer fighting are protected under international humanitarian law and must be spared."
Because the risk of typhoons and other natural disasters is high in the Philippines, the ICRC is helping the Philippine Red Cross to build up its capacity to respond. The Philippine Red Cross deployed trained volunteers in response to tropical storm Ondoy and together with the ICRC provided safe drinking water and proper sanitation for over 18,000 people.
The ICRC also donates vehicles, first-aid kits and other equipment to some local Red Cross chapters to strengthen their capacity to respond to conflict-related incidents. In addition, it organizes training in first aid, emergency response and assessment and planning.
Helping displaced and resident communities
In 2009, the ICRC:
* distributed nearly 4,600 metric tonnes of rice, 1.1 million litres of oil and other items together with the Philippines Red Cross. It provided over 8,000 essential household items such as tarpaulins, blankets, kitchen sets and hygiene kits for displaced families, including those affected by armed violence in Sulu and tropical storm Ondoy;
* improved access to water and sanitation for 30,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) and residents in six major evacuation areas in Central Mindanao. In the Visayas, the ICRC improved access to water and sanitation for 5,000 people living in remote areas of Negros and Samar;
* renovated six primary health-care centres in Central Mindanao, where over 30,000 people went for consultations, and kept them supplied with regular donations of drugs and medical consumables. The ICRC also provided medicines, surgical materials and other essential items for 10 hospitals throughout Mindanao. It offered individual support to over 220 particularly vulnerable patients to ensure that they had access to adequate care;
* carried out a hygiene promotion campaign in cooperation with the Philippines Red Cross in 18 evacuation centres to encourage people to adopt safe hygiene practices.
"When we arrived at the evacuation centre, we had to rely on the river for all of our hygiene needs – washing, brushing teeth, and even as a comfort room," said Bembo Alamasa, who, together with her husband and six children, has been displaced since August 2008. "There had been no problem in our small village, but in a huge evacuation centre one can get sick. Now I know how to teach my children to wash hands, keep water clean and maintain proper hygiene, and we will do so even at home."
Promoting international humanitarian law
The ICRC has been supporting the authorities in their efforts to promote international humanitarian law.
In a major breakthrough, the Philippine government signed Republic Act No. 9851, the "Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity," into law in December.
Representatives of military training institutions from South-East Asia expanded their knowledge of international humanitarian law by taking part in a regional workshop, hosted in December by the Philippine Military Academy, which brought together 26 participants from 11 countries.
Sixteen teams from leading law schools in the Philippines took part in a moot-court competition on international humanitarian law; the winner will represent the country at a regional competition in Hong Kong in March.
For further information, please contact:
Anastasia Isyuk, ICRC Manila, tel: +63 918 907 21 25
Carla Haddad Mardini, ICRC Geneva, tel: +41 22 730 24 05 or +41 79 217 32 26
