 Aerial view of the Manila City Jail | |
 | |
| Location | 851 Oroquieta Road, Santa Cruz |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 14°36′17″N120°59′01″E / 14.60485537153207°N 120.98364904244103°E |
| Status | Operational |
| Capacity | 1,100 [1] |
| Population | 4,800 [2] (as of 2020) |
| Managed by | Bureau of Jail Management and Penology |
| City | Manila |
| Country | Philippines |
The Manila City Jail, popularly known as Old Bilibid Prison, is a detention center in Manila, Philippines. It is one of the most overcrowded jails in the world. [1] [3]
The Old Bilibid Prison, then known as Carcel y Presidio Correccional (Spanish, "Correctional Jail and Military Prison") occupied a rectangular piece of land that was part of the Mayhalique Estate in the heart of Manila. [4] The old prison was established by the Spanish colonial government on June 25, 1865, via royal decree. [5] It was divided into two sections: the carcel (jail), which could accommodate 600 inmates; and the presidio (prison), which could hold 527 prisoners. [4] The Commonwealth of the Philippines enacted Commonwealth Act No. 67 on October 23, 1936, which allocated 1 million Philippine pesos to build a new prison in Muntinlupa on 551 hectares (1,360 acres) of land in an area that was considered at that time to be remote. [6] [7] Construction began the same year. In 1940, the prisoners, equipment and facilities were transferred from Old Bilibid to the new prison, which was officially named the New Bilibid Prison. [7] The remnants of the old facility became the Manila City Jail. [8]
The Manila City Jail began overcrowding at the start of the Rodrigo Duterte administration, during the crackdown on drug-related crimes. [1] [3] [9]
In September 2019, two inmates were killed and 32 were injured in a riot that began with an argument between two members of rival gangs over a sleeping space. At the time, the dormitory in the facility where the fight broke out was housing 800 inmates despite having a 200-person capacity. [10] [11]
As the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread in 2020, a spokesperson for the Manila City Jail told ABS-CBN News that the jail was housing over four times its intended capacity, with 4,800 inmates in the facility. The jail began to allow inmates to stay in open spaces within the jail compound to increase physical distancing. Family visits were disallowed, and the jail added ten computers to allow for visits via video chat (e-dalaw). Jail employees were put under lockdown and not allowed to return home beginning March 20, 2020. [12] An old building previously used to quarantine tuberculosis patients was established as an isolation location for potential COVID-19 patients. [2] The jail spokesperson told ABS-CBN towards the end of March 2020: "As of now, Manila City Jail remains COVID-19 free"; however, ABS-CBN noted that no one at the facility had been tested. [12] In April 2020, the international non-governmental organisation Human Rights Watch expressed the concern that, due to incomplete reporting by the Philippine government, COVID-19 might be spreading more quickly and widely within Philippine detention centers than it appeared. [13]
The 2.4-hectare (5.9-acre) Manila City Jail has the capacity to house 1,100 inmates. [1] [10] [12]
Operating at an average of 463.6% occupancy, detention centers in the Philippines are the second most overcrowded in the world. [14] As of March 2020 [update] , there were 4,800 inmates in the Manila City Jail. In December 2018, the Philippines topped the list of countries with the most overcrowded prisons, with the average facility population exceeding 600% capacity. At that time, the Manila City Jail was housing 6,300 inmates, 90% of whom were pretrial detainees. [1] Also as of December 2018, the ratio of guards to inmates was 1:200, considerably higher than international guidelines which recommend a ratio of 1:7. [1] In January 2019, The New York Times reported that during one shift the ratio was 1:528. [3]
Due to overcrowding, inmates sleep in shifts. [2] Many sleep side by side on all available floor space and stairways, including in hallways and bathrooms. [1] [3] [2] Some do not have room to lay down and must sleep sitting up. [1] Those who can afford it pay other inmates, who act as dorm leaders, to allow them to sleep in 2-by-2-meter (6 ft 7 in × 6 ft 7 in) cubicles called kubols. [3] [2]
Although gangs are forbidden, officials allow them to operate because they help maintain order. A spokesman for the Manila City Jail told The New York Times in 2019, "Formally, we don't allow inmates to police other inmates. Informally, we do because of a lack of resources." The gangs self-enforce rules such as those forbidding fighting and approaching other inmates' visitors. [3] They also maintain communal funds and help distribute food, which is scarce within the facility. [1] [3]
Leah Armamento, a member of the Philippine government's Commission on Human Rights, has said that the overcrowding in Philippine jails constitutes torture according to the United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture. [3]
The international NGO Human Rights Watch raised concerns in April 2020 that COVID-19 was spreading more quickly and widely in Philippine detention centers than reporting suggested, and urged authorities to investigate the causes of deaths in the facilities, reduce prison populations, and implement other measures to prevent the spread of the virus. [13] Amnesty International raised concerns the same month over the risk of Philippine prisons and detention facilities to become hot-spots of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amnesty urged authorities to release prisoners, saying their health is at immediate risk due to the lack of space, food, water, hygiene and health care. The massive overcrowding is partially due fact that roughly 75% of the detainees are pre-trial or remand prisoners. Many of them are being held without a trial for years, sometimes for minor offences. [15]
The Chiong murder case was a trial regarding an incident on July 16, 1997, in Cebu City, in which sisters Marijoy and Jacqueline Chiong were kidnapped, raped, and murdered.
Ferdinand Hipolito Navarro, known professionally as Vhong Navarro, is a Filipino comedian, actor, dancer, recording artist and television host. He is known for his iconic comedic roles in Agent X44, Mr. Suave, and Spider-Man parody film Gagamboy. He is a regular host on ABS-CBN's noontime variety show It's Showtime. He was also part of the dance group Streetboys alongside fellow It's Showtime host Jhong Hilario.
The New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa, Metro Manila is the main insular prison designed to house the prison population of the Philippines. It is maintained by the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) under the Department of Justice (DOJ). As of October 2022, the NBP housed 29,204 inmates, nearly five times its intended capacity of 6,345.
CPDRC Dancing Inmates or the CPDRC dancers is a collective of prison inmates in Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC), a maximum security prison in Cebu, in Cebu Province, Philippines where the prisoners perform dance routines as part of their daily exercise and rehabilitation, and many of their performances are filmed and released online, making them a popular feature among fans and veritable online celebrities.
Ynfane Avanica, known professionally as Ana Capri, is a Filipino actress.
The Philippine National Police, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, National Bureau of Investigation led by Justice secretary Leila de Lima launched a series of raids on the New Bilibid Prison on December 15, 19, and 22, 2014, targeting drug lords allegedly operating inside the prison and to seize contraband reportedly in possession of some of the prison's inmates. Prohibited items such as methamphetamine chloride and other drug paraphernalia, inflatable sex dolls, a stripper bar and jacuzzi were found in air-conditioned villas of high-profile inmates. Police also found other contraband in the prison, such as firearms and bladed weapons, mobile phones, flat-screen TVs, laptops, WIFi, luxury Patek Philippe, Cartier, and Rolex watches, a sauna, and over ₱2 million in cash from body searches of several inmates.
On August 13, 1989, 16 inmates at the Davao Metropolitan District Command Center, who had previously escaped from the Davao Penal Colony, captured 15 members of a Protestant group, the Joyful Assembly of God. The inmates were part of the prison gang called the Wild Boys of DaPeCol, led by Felipe Pugoy and Mohammad Nazir Samparani. The hostage crisis ended with the deaths of five hostages and all 16 inmates.
The New Bilibid Prison drug trafficking scandal is a criminal investigation and political scandal concerning allegations of government involvement in illegal drug trade at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa, Metro Manila, Philippines. The allegations were made by President Rodrigo Duterte after announcing that the two top convicted drug lords in the country continued to run their drug rings from inside the national penitentiary with former administration officials and their local government cohorts as co-conspirators. On August 25, 2016, Duterte released a drug matrix showing the structure of drug trafficking operations at the New Bilibid Prison and identified the two former top officials of the Department of Justice, the former provincial governor and board member of Pangasinan, and the former Bureau of Corrections director as being involved in the Bilibid narcotics trade.
Jaybee Niño Manicad Sebastian was a Filipino high-profile inmate interned at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) who was convicted for kidnap-for-ransom and carnapping in 2009. He was known for running a prison gang and was allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade within the prison.
Quezon City Jail is located in Quezon City northeast of Manila, Philippines, in the National Capital Region (NCR). It reports to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP). The prison was built in 1953 for 800 inmates but has since held 3,800 prisoners.
On April 27, 2017, a scandal arose when a team from the Commission of Human Rights (CHR) raided the Manila Police District (MPD) station 1 in Tondo, Manila, Philippines and discovered that about 12 men and women were being detained inside a cell hidden behind a bookshelf. It was reported that these prisoners inside the said cell were being held by the police allegedly to be released only upon payment of ransom.
The good conduct time allowance (GCTA) controversy started in August 2019 involving the employees of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor). It begins with Bureau of Corrections Director General Nicanor Faeldon and several other government officials signing the document containing the release of former Calauan, Laguna Mayor Antonio Sanchez, the prime suspect in the rape and murder of Eileen Sarmenta and her friend Allan Gomez in 1993, and the release of Josman Aznar, Ariel Balansag, Alberto Caño and James Anthony Uy, the 4 suspects in the rape and murder of sisters Marijoy and Jacqueline Chiong in 1997, citing "good conduct."
2020 in the Philippines details events of note that have occurred in the Philippines in 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines was a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. As of August 17, 2024, there have been 4,140,383 reported cases, and 66,864 reported deaths, the fifth highest in Southeast Asia, behind Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. The first case in the Philippines was identified on January 30, 2020, and involved a 38-year-old Chinese woman who was confined at San Lazaro Hospital in Metro Manila. On February 1, 2020, a posthumous test result from a 44-year-old Chinese man turned out positive for the virus, making the Philippines the first country outside China to record a confirmed death from the disease.
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted prisons globally. There have been outbreaks of COVID-19 reported in prisons and jails around the world, with the housing density and population turnover of many prisons contributing to an increased risk of contracting the virus compared to the general population. Prison crowding and lack of sanitation measures contribute to the risk of contracting diseases in prisons and jails. As a mitigation measure, several jurisdictions have released prisoners to reduce density and attempt to reduce the spread of the illness. There have also been protests among prisoners, riots and prison breaks in multiple countries in response to prisoner anger over their risk of contracting illness in prison conditions. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, health services within prisons had issues providing adequate care for incarcerated people, and this has only been exacerbated by the impacts of COVID-19. Minority groups within the prison system have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Bureau of Immigration Bicutan Detention Center (BI–Bicutan) is the principal immigration detention center administered by the Bureau of Immigration of the Philippines. Located inside Camp Bagong Diwa, in Lower Bicutan, Taguig, the facility is known internally as the Warden Facility and Protection Unit (WFPU). However, in press releases and public statements, the Bureau variously refers to the facility as a "jail", "warden facility" or "detention center". The function of the facility is to hold foreign detainees who are awaiting deportation, for example, because they have pending criminal cases, or because they are accused of having overstayed their visas.
Camp Bagong Diwa is the headquarters of the National Capital Region Police Office, located in Lower Bicutan, Taguig, Philippines.
The COVID-19 pandemic in the Bicol Region is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The virus reached the Bicol Region on March 27, 2020, when the first case of the disease was confirmed in Albay.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Zamboanga Peninsula is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The virus reached Zamboanga Peninsula, Philippines on March 24, 2020, when the first case of the disease was confirmed in Zamboanga City. All provinces including the cities of Zamboanga and Isabela have recorded at least a single case.
Media related to Manila City Jail at Wikimedia Commons| Agencies |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Prisons | ||
| Administrative detention | ||