MANILA, Philippines – The sorry state of Philippines prisons was put into the spotlight anew during a budget hearing at the House of Representatives on Wednesday, August 23, when food and medicines for inmates, also called persons deprived of liberty (PDL), were discussed.

During the briefing for the Bureau of Corrections‘ (BuCor) budget for 2024, ACT Teachers Representative France Castro asked why the allotted money for the PDLs’ food remained at P70, and P15 pesos for medical, under the National Expenditure Program (NEP) or the proposed budget for next year.

“Ano po ba ‘yong inirekomenda ‘nyo sa DBM (Department of Budget and Management)? Ito pa rin po ba ‘yong inirekomenda ‘nyo, kasi ‘yan din ‘yong nasa NEP (What did you recommend to the DBM? Did you recommend the same amount because that’s what’s in the NEP),” Castro said, adding that she already flagged the low budget allocation during last year’s budget hearing.

Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla, who oversees the BuCor, said that they requested to increase the budget for food to P100 per inmate, and P90 for medical needs. Remulla added they have many requests that were not entertained by the DBM, including their P23 billion request to fund new prisons to address jail congestion.

According to Remulla, the congestion rate of Philippine jails stands at 383%.

As a response, DBM Assistant Secretary Mary Anne dela Vega explained that they maintained the amount because they would also have to consider the food budget of other personnel in the government: “And we also would like to state that if we are going to give the P130 being asked by the BuCor, [we] would like to also consider [their] counterparts like the uniformed personnel or the military, their subsistence is only at 150 per day.”

Annually, the government allots budget for the inmates’ food under the BuCor’s food subsistence program. The BuCor partners with a catering service and enters into a food subsistence agreement (FSA) to provide food for the PDLs.

Under the most recent FSA, food providers are mandated to provide meals based on a 10-day menu cycle, with 2,000 calories per PDL per day, to ensure the PDLs’ good health. In addition, a food inspection committee was also created and tasked to ensure that the 10-day cycle will be followed.

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COA flags BuCor over meals for PDLs that fail to meet standards

The right to adequate food has always been a problem among inmates, on top of other concerns like jail congestion. In 2015, each prisoner was only given a daily food allowance of P50: P10 for breakfast, P20 for lunch, and P20 for dinner. Later, the food allowance increased to P60 individual allowance, and then to P70 by 2022.

But the budget was only one of the concerns. The Commission on Audit, in its 2022 annual audit report, flagged the BuCor over meals served inside penitentiaries that did not meet the standards. – With a report from Marjorie delos Reyes/Rappler.com

Marjorie delos Reyes, a Rappler intern, is a Development Communication student from UP Los Baños. Learn more about Rappler’s internship program here.