What has been done:
October highlights the plight of persons deprived of liberty with the annual commemoration of the National Correctional Consciousness Week and the CBCP's Prison Awareness Week. Our organization participated in several activities. At same time, our CBB Program continued with our Program Field Officers' weekly monitoring/home visits of successfully released participants, providing guidance and updating the steps they are taking towards becoming productive members of their communities.
Twenty-three of our CBB Participants had scheduled hearings for the period covered. 11 hearings pushed through while the others were postponed/reset for various reasons.
For this period, we were able to successfully release three CBB Participants from detention. All were released through bail. They join the 190 other CBB Participants that have been released, all of whom we are assisting towards community reintegration.
We partnered with the Rotary Club and the Knights of Columbus for possible programs and projects that address PDL reintegration. Together we conducted in initial jail visitation to the New Quezon City Jail Male Dorm Payatas last October 4 and met with their officers from the Assessment and Classification Unit. We donated one 55" flatscreen TV for use in their ACU intervention activities.
For the NACOCOW and PAW celebrations, we joined the Regional Welfare and Development Division's call for donations of essential supplies and underwear. 4 CNR jail facilities were beneficiaries. With our partners from Mary Help of Christians, 3 jail facilities were visited and provided with Holy Mass and feeding activities
Our CBB Team visited the New Quezon City Jail Payatas for a feeding activity as well.
Last October 27, the annual Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines Episcopal Commission on Prison Pastoral Care (CBCP-ECPPC) celebrated Prison Awareness Sunday with the "Gawad Paglilingkod" Awards as its highlight. The award served to recognize those who have made exemplary contributions to the prison ministry and among the recipients this year were three PRESO, Inc. partners.
The Coalition Against Death Penalty marked the World Celebration Against Death Penalty with a gathering last October 10 and a Forum on Alternatives to the Death Penalty together with the Commission on Human Rights last October 30.
We continued our engagements with other agencies to explore future programs and projects. Last October 6 we met with the Angeles City Pampanga Justice Zones for the possible expansion of our Community Bail Bond Program. Last October 28 we met with ArcadisPh and Just Shut Up and Love for possible activities for the coming Christmas celebration.
Last October 9 we joined the quarterly Regional WD Service Providers Meeting where we discussed upcoming NACOCOW and Christmas/New Year activities.
As of November 1, there have been 487 individuals referred to our program coming from 24 city jail facilities, 2 provincial jail facilities, 17 police stations, 3 youth centers, 3 correctional facilities, and 3 national agencies. Of this number 251 had been interviewed. Of the interviewed, 138 had been successfully bailed out while another 55 had been released through other legal means.
More significantly, we have a total of 63 CBB Participants who have successfully graduated from the CBB Program. We consider participants as having successfully graduated from the Program after their cases have been closed, and at least another six months of monitoring have elapsed. Throughout this period, they must have shown to be responsible members of their community and can lead productive lives.
With their release, the government has now saved Php 4,265,670.00. This is computed by adding the amount budgeted per day (PhP70 for food) per PDL multiplied by the number of days since the day of the release from jail of every individual Participant. These savings will increase as days go by and as long as their cases are not terminated. For those whose cases are dismissed, served early or whose probation was approved, we expect a savings of least 60 days of non-incarceration.
Additionally, on top of the food savings by the government, these individuals are now back to the community and actively engaged in their livelihood- hence contributing to the economy. We minimized their exposure to the criminogenic jail environment leading to better reentry to the society as responsible members.
As we forge ahead with our Community Bail Bond Program, we continue to learn and re-learn approaches and procedures. And this is a welcome experience for us. We envision that more PDLs and CICLs would be assisted soon with their liberties restored, their dignity regained and that their lives are eventually rebuilt. We as a community have a significant role in all these. In the long run, support for our prisons and prisoners as a whole would benefit all of society in terms of lower rates of recidivism and increased sense of public safety. GOD IS ON OUR SIDE!
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