DILG wants full disclosure of jail expenses

By Jerome Carlo R. Paunan

Saturday 16th of June 2012

MANILA, June 16 (PIA) -- Starting July 1 this year, all jails under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) will be required to post their expenditures and donations in their bulletin boards nationwide, a statement posted on its website said.

After the DILG required local governments to disclose their budget and finances, it said that it is now the turn of the jails to divulge their expenditures and donations to the public.

In 2010, the DILG issued the Full Disclosure Policy obliging local government units (LGUs) to make public their financial documents such as budget and procurement bidding. Since then, more than 90 percent of LGUs have complied with the policy.

DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo said that in the next few days, he will be issuing a directive to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) to direct all city, district, and municipal jails to post the expenses that they had incurred as well as the donations that they had received on their bulletin boards which the public can freely examine.

“This is part of our efforts towards transparent and accountable management and supervision of the country’s jails,” said Robredo, during last week’s Forum on the Role of the Community in Effective Corrections Administration held at the BJMP National Headquarters yesterday.

“Most of our inmates have spent a big part of their lives in jails and we want to make sure that they benefit directly from every single centavo that is being allotted or donated to local jails,” he added.

At present, BJMP has 69,372 inmates nationwide with a budget of P50 daily per inmate.

Also to be posted are the total jail population, resources, funds, and how donations given by private individuals and groups are being utilized.

To effectively monitor jail funds, Robredo is calling on the support of the private sector, church organizations, and other government offices in tracking or auditing funds and donations intended for jails.

He said that while efforts are being done by the DILG to look for more funds to construct more jails and enhance jail services, the Department is carrying out measures to ensure that jails are being supervised and managed efficiently and effectively.

On the issue of jail congestion, the DILG Secretary is appealing to the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to help in efforts to decongest jails by fast tracking the resolution of cases against inmates.

“Help us decongest jails so that there would be lesser expenses on the part of the government, lesser inmates to take care of, and lesser responsibilities on the part of the jail wardens,” he said.

Also present during the forum were speakers from the CHR, PAO, University of the Philippines National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP-NCPAG), delegates from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Korean Embassy, and other stakeholders. Dr. Raymund Narag, a former inmate from the Quezon City Jail who is now connected with the Michigan State University, was also among the guests. (DILG/RJB/JCP-PIA NCR)