‘Vote for life’: Kapatid urges SC to act on petition for prisoners’ release

MANILA, Philippines – Reina Mae Asis Nasino, a 22-year old political prisoner, is due to give birth at the Manila City Jail female dorm where COVID-19 cases have been confirmed. 

Nacino was arrested with two other activists at the Bayan office in Tondo, Manila, in the wake of a “crackdown” on progressive organizations in November 2019.

Humn rights group Kapatid expressed concern that overcrowded jail facilities make persons deprived of liberty vulnerable to the new virus. 

Holding red beaded roses handcrafted by political prisoners, members of Kapatid trooped to the Supreme Court on Tuesday, Jun 16, urging the justices to act on their petition calling for the release of “vulnerable and at risk” inmates on humanitarian grounds. (READ: Concern over deaths in Bilibid mounts in the face of pandemic)

“We pray that the Supreme Court will choose to vote for life in favor of the most vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic now invading prison facilities and also out of compassion for Reina Mae Asis Nasino who stands in danger of losing her first child,” said Kapatid spokesperson Fides Lim.

Kapatid submitted a petition to the Supreme Court on April 8, calling for the release of sick and elderly prisoners to decongest prison facilities and prevent the spread of COVID-19. This was also done following the appeal of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet for the immediate release of vulnerable prisoners all over the world.

Recent government data showed that 194 prisoners and Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) personnel got infected by the coronavirus. Meanwhile, 745 inmates and 125 personnel from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) facilities tested positive for the virus as of June 11.

The data also indicated that 60 prisoners died in March, 62 in April, and 136 in May but the causes of death were not attributed to the coronavirus. A Newsbreak report published in May quoted BuCor Spokesperson Gabriel Chaclag as saying that the causes of death  of inmates during the pandemic were not determined because autopsies could not be performed during the lockdown.  (READ: In Bilibid, dozens die of unclear causes without being tested for coronavirus)

Chaclag had also said in a Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism report that loneliness, nightmares, illnesses, among other isolated cases, could be the reasons for the deaths in New Bilibid Prison. (READ: In Bilibid, dozens die of unclear causes without being tested for coronavirus)

Kapatid, however, slammed the denial of the coronavirus deaths in prison, saying that the lack of mass testing was the main reason why the deaths in prisons remained unclear.

 “It is truly grievous that after officials bragged that prisons in the country are 100% safe from the fast-spreading disease, they are now saying that the spike in fatalities may be attributed to loneliness,” Lim said.

“It is not loneliness that is the cause of death in Muntinlupa but neglect and mismanagement,” she added.

Lim urged the High Court to fast track the result of the petition they filed in April: “The Supreme Court needs to act now with the greatest exigency to save human life.” – Rappler.com