Panayam kay DOJ spokesperson Asec. Mico Clavano
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 At the upcoming Jail Congestion Summit, we will be talking with Assistant Secretary Nico Clavano,
00:07 the spokesperson of the Department of Justice.
00:10 Asek Clavano, good afternoon and welcome to the new Philippines.
00:15 Good afternoon, Nina and Usec Marge. Thank you for having me.
00:20 Asek, how are you preparing for the upcoming Jail Decongestion Summit
00:26 and what activities and discussions are expected at this summit?
00:31 This Jail Decongestion Summit is very important.
00:35 This is a big issue in our prisons, BJMP and Bucor.
00:41 Our congestion rate is already high.
00:45 In BJMP, the congestion rate is already close to 400% on average.
00:50 Here in Bucor, it is also around 400%.
00:54 So, in the eyes of the Supreme Court, DILG and DOJ,
01:00 which is formed by the JSCC or the Justice Sector Coordinating Council,
01:04 where they coordinate and communicate better with the three justice actors,
01:11 they pointed out that our congestion rate is a big issue.
01:16 So, this congestion summit that we are calling is being planned for a long time.
01:23 For the purpose of addressing these problems.
01:26 First, we need to reduce the admission in the prisons.
01:33 Second, we need to increase the release of PDLs.
01:38 Third, we need to build the capacity of our facilities in BJMP and DOJ.
01:48 What is the number one reason why this problem is still not solved?
01:56 The congestion in the prisons is already long.
01:59 And yet, there are still many prisoners or persons deprived of liberty.
02:06 Yes, yes. A very good question actually.
02:08 This is one of the topics that we need to talk about in the Jail Decongestion Summit.
02:14 And I think that the first one is the bail.
02:18 Because there are many prisoners in BJMP.
02:21 This is pre-conviction for those BJMP who have not yet been sentenced, not yet judged.
02:27 They do not know if they are convicted or if their case will be dismissed.
02:31 But they are in prison because they cannot pay their bail.
02:36 And this is one of the things that DOJ is doing now, reducing the amount of bail.
02:44 Either 50% of the recommended bail or 10,000 whichever is lower.
02:49 This is a very good reform that Secretary Lemulia did.
02:54 Because now, our brothers and sisters are in prison, they cannot pay their bail.
02:59 Although their crime is available, they can afford to pay their bail.
03:05 Okay, Mico, what is the plus factor in the co-operation of the Supreme Court, DOJ and DILG
03:14 in this endeavor for the benefit of our PDLs?
03:19 This JSCC has been around for a long time.
03:21 Although now, we have many projects, you are with us there, DILG.
03:26 DOJ, DILG and the Supreme Court have co-operated.
03:31 All actors in the justice system have co-operated to improve communication, coordination
03:37 and there are many more that JSCC will do.
03:40 Especially here, on December 6 and 7, there will be a Jail Decongestion Summit
03:47 where three agencies will meet to discuss with experts, stakeholders, civil service organizations
03:56 and the Commission on Human Rights to discuss how to solve our congestion rate.
04:03 What do you think, Asec, are the priorities that should be given in this summit?
04:09 Maybe the holistic solutions are the ones that look good.
04:15 Because DOJ has its role, DILG also has its role.
04:19 The Supreme Court has its role in the creation of solutions.
04:27 But if you see the insight or input of civil service organizations, experts from different countries,
04:35 the people who went through the jail, if you see their perspective,
04:39 the solution will be different, more holistic
04:43 and the root cause of our congestion rate will be solved.
04:48 And the solution will be better.
04:51 Of course, the superpowers of these agencies have combined.
04:55 So, Asec Nico, are you also part of the discussion in this summit
04:59 on the addition of PITAN to different regions of the country?
05:03 And what is the current project of the government as an additional facility for PDLs?
05:09 As of right now, in the DOJ, there are 7 facilities already, the Bucor.
05:17 Although we want to add that to regionalize our jail system.
05:23 Now, our biggest prison facility is in Muntinlupa, New Belivid Prison.
05:30 And it is very congested in that facility.
05:34 It has reached 19,000 more prisoners in New Belivid Prison,
05:41 although the capacity is only 7,000.
05:44 So, the congestion rate is very high and it is really painful.
05:50 And it is not good, even if the person is in jail, they still have the right.
05:55 So, we want to create a regionalized prison system where every region has a jail.
06:03 This is good because the prisoners' relatives can visit them.
06:10 And our reform programs will be better.
06:14 In all, Asec Nico, how many PDLs have been transferred to our regional jails?
06:21 Right now, there are almost 700 transfers.
06:25 Some of them have been transferred to Iwahig.
06:28 When we visited Iwahig, their program is very good because there was an agreement
06:35 between the DOJ and the DA, Department of Agriculture,
06:39 where the PDLs are taught how to farm.
06:43 So, we really saw that they are all out in their new activity.
06:50 And their PDLs are also good as a product.
06:54 Maybe you are with the Department of Agriculture.
06:57 Yes.
06:58 So, Asec, we have a question from the media.
07:03 Luisa Erispe from PTV, do you have a comment on what VP Sara Duterte said
07:11 that she is requesting the DOJ to insist on its stand against the ICC probe?
07:17 There is no need to request because the stance of the DOJ has not changed.
07:23 As Secretary Mulya said, we are just studying because there are people who spoke from the Congress
07:32 and it is our job to listen to our co-equal branch of government.
07:37 So, we are studying because there are people who said that maybe we should just look at it again.
07:44 The policy of the government is changing.
07:48 And I think, here in the DOJ, this is still our stand that there is no jurisdiction of the ICC.
07:57 Although, of course, we will be open if ever we see a change in the policy.
08:04 Asec Mico, does the DOJ see the possibility of the Philippines returning to the ICC?
08:11 What is the DOJ's stand on the Philippines returning to the ICC?
08:16 It is still far because we are still studying that.
08:20 And there are a lot of considerations, a lot of legal challenges
08:26 because we are not part or a member of the Rome Statute.
08:32 And we need to study all the consequences of returning to the ICC.
08:38 We left in 2019, and now if we will return in 2023, what is the reason?
08:45 We don't want to look like a fool.
08:47 We need to be deliberate, we need to study well so that our decisions will not affect our state.
08:58 Okay, we have another question here from Louisa Erizpe of PTV about POGO.
09:06 Last Friday, there was a raid on a new POGO hub and allegedly, it was involved in human trafficking.
09:13 How many cases have been filed in the DOJ related to POGOs?
09:18 And there are reports that these POGO hubs are moving to provinces.
09:22 That's right. Human trafficking is still a big problem in our country.
09:27 Especially that they are hiding under various legitimate operations like POGO and others.
09:38 There are a lot of cases that have been filed, although I don't have the concrete numbers right now.
09:46 We are planning to further boost our efforts against human trafficking.
09:52 And the important thing is that there are people who will be convicted
09:57 because nothing will happen if it's just a raid and no one will be convicted.
10:02 And you are right in saying that they are moving to remote areas, to provinces.
10:09 But what that means is that our response against human traffickers is effective.
10:16 And that is the reason why they are moving because here in Metro Manila, they can no longer survive.
10:23 Alright, we don't have much time left.
10:26 Asik, it's a shame that we still have a lot to talk about. But maybe you can give a message to our fellow citizens who are tuned in to our program.
10:35 Let's just wait for the JLD Congestion Summit that will be held on December 6 and 7.
10:42 We will have a lot to talk about there. We will discuss a lot of solutions.
10:47 And this issue is very important. So let's all wait.
10:53 Asik Mico, our interview was a bit short. But thank you very much for your time.
10:59 Assistant Secretary Mico Clavano, the spokesperson of the Department of Justice.