The Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) sees the protests held by persons deprived of liberty (PDL) in the Negros Occidental District Jail (NODJ) in Bago City as legitimate, stemming from demands that the government must meet. It therefore condemns the reported repression of the protests, including prison authorities’ use of rubber bullets and teargas against the PDLs.

Since August 24, more than 600 PDLs in the NODJ have been holding various forms of protests against prison conditions under newly assigned jail warden Jail Chief Inspector Atty. Crisyrel Awe. They have boycotted activities held by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), gathered together in the jail’s rooftop, held noise barrage protests, flashed signs stating their demands, among others.

In response, the BJMP–Negros Island Region has appointed Jail Senior Inspector Raymund Aro as officer-in-charge of the NODJ in Bago City. It said that Awe’s replacement by Aro aims to ensure order in the jail facility while investigations are ongoing. This is a victory of the protests carried out by the PDLs.

The PDLs have signed a petition to the BJMP national headquarters and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) asking for immediate action on the following jail policies: reducing food rations to only six (6) PDLs per cell which houses 20 PDLs; refusing extended families’ visits; and cancelling vegetable gardening and other livelihood activities.

The PDLs were also protesting jail authorities’ policies of prolonging detention that limit access to fresh air and sunlight; denying medicines and access to medical services; harassing negotiators among the PDLs; providing overpriced food and non-issuance of official receipts for cash deposits; among others.

The PDLs’ demands point to inhumane prison conditions, which make their protest legitimate. PDLs are being stripped of their dignity and are being treated with disrespect. They are being denied much-needed healthcare services and contact with their families.

We are calling on the CHR, the BJMP and Jail Senior Inspector Aro to immediately act on the PDLs’ demands stated in their petition. The authorities should also work to halt any form of repression that is being planned or carried out against the PDLs’ protest. They should ensure that the PDLs are free from reprisal for their protest.

The PDLs’ demands point to violations of Republic Act No. 7438, which defines the rights of persons who are arrested, detained or under custodial investigation, and of Republic Act No. 9745 or the Anti-Torture Law. They also indicate violations of the Nelson Mandela Rules, or the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners.

The fight of PDLs is a fight of all Filipinos. The advancement of the rights of PDLs creates conditions for the advancement of the rights of everyone. PDLs mostly come from the poor, are targets of the government’s anti-drug and anti-insurgency campaigns, and are seen as occupying the lowest rung in society. They too have human rights, and these should be the minimum standards of a just and democratic society.