Published by: http://www.journal.com.ph

Date: November 17, 2007 4:54 PM Saturday 

Helping Sick, Old Prisoners

The pledge of Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez to work for the passage of a legislation which calls for the mandatory release of seriously ill or aging prisoners is a welcome development in the campaign to decongest the country’s overcrowded jails and other detention facilities.
    
But while the young congressman has offered the full support of his office to the Public Attorney’s Office in the pursuit of its mission of providing free legal aid to poor litigants, the government must transform the inmates into productive citizens again.The proposed bill of Romualdez, who represents the First District of Leyte in the House of Representatives, reflects his genuine concern for the welfare of old and sick inmates, many of them no longer visited by friends or relatives.
   
A lawyer, educator, and a banker, Romualdez discussed details of the measure during a meeting Tuesday with PAO chief Persida V. Rueda Acosta, the 2007 Gusi Peace Prize Laureate for Social Justice.
   
Before their one-on-one meeting, Acosta honored the Leyte congressman for his contributions to the fulfillment of the mandate of PAO in simple ceremonies at the House of Representatives. She presented a plaque of appreciation to the rising political star from Leyte.
   
PAO, together with the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and other concerned government and private agencies, is involved in furthering the interests of prisoners and other detainees throughout the country, particularly in the Metro Manila area.
   
Acosta said the BJMP, along with the Bureau of Corrections, may be granted the authority to release inmates. She said two government medical doctors and a private physician could be appointed to certify inmates who are qualified for release.
   
“Nationwide percentage of congestion of detention facilities has peaked at 2,212.28 percent, which makes prison life even more deplorable and life-threatening,” according to the PAO chief.
   
We find merit and timeliness in the proposal of Romualdez, who is also known for his uncompromising stand against shenanigans in the government service, because of the mushrooming number of prisoners and detainees.
   
Thus, we call on the honorable members of Congress to fast-track the approval of measures aimed at decongesting the country’s over-crowded jails and re-training prisoners to enable them to become productive citizens again.
   
We are all for this.

REACTION:

I strongly agree to this editorial. I’m always been pro for social justice but this doesn’t mean that the detainees or prisoners, though have sinned are ought to be deprived from it. Imprisonment should not provide prisoners a venture for a new crime but instead help these prisoners transform. Thus, social justice is both a philosophical problem and an important issue in politics, religion and civil society. Most individuals wish to live in a just society, but different political ideologies have different conceptions of what a ‘just society’ actually is. Others might resent to this program of Romualdez but I believe Romualdez is just treating them humans and not monsters. If they’ll question on proper and just reward for their crimes and so have them suffer upright. I believe something worse could never become better unless we act better than that.