What has been done:
The month of October signals the annual National Correctional Consciousness Week (NACOCOW) and the Prison Awareness Sunday celebrations. This year, PRESO, Inc. once again took part in joining the festivities through various engagements and he distribution of food and essential supplies to various NCR jails.
All the while, there was no letting down in terms of our Community Bail Bond Program. Our Program Field Officers continued with their regular activities that included conducting weekly monitoring/home visits of successfully released participants, providing guidance and updating the steps they are taking towards becoming productive members of their communities.
Eight of our CBB Participants had scheduled hearings for the period covered. Two pushed through while the others were postponed/reset for various reasons.
Aside from the weekly monitoring of our released Participants, our Program Field Officers likewise were unfailing in conducting initial home and barangay visits for applicants, coordinating with barangay officials & PAO lawyers, and the processing of bail for CBB Applicants.
For this period, we were able to successfully release 2 CBB Participants from detention through bail. They join the 150 other CBB Participants that have been released, all of whom we are assisting towards community reintegration.
The Prison Awareness and National Correctional Consciousness Week was held last October 22-29 with all correctional facilities conducting various programs and activities for the benefit of PDL. PRESO, Inc. joined in the whirlwind of activities throughout the that included distribution of donations of bread, soaps and other basic necessities to several NCR jails. We likewise joined jail visitations, feeding activities and service providers recognition programs at MMDJ Annex 1, Manila City Jail Male Dorm and Pasay City Jail Male Dorm among others.
It was the late Cardinal Sin who initiated the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines declaration of a Prison Awareness Sunday. It became a day of worship and reiteration of the importance of serving persons deprived of liberty. This year, the celebration was held last October 29, 2023. Among the highlights of the day's festivities was the Gawad Paglilingkod ceremony where long-time volunteers were given recognition for their service to the correctional community. This year's recipients included three PRESO, Inc. officers.
Dr. Raymund Narag, our Chief Consultant returned to the country once again to continue his engagements with the Department of Justice, BuCor, BJMP, and PPA.
Dr. Narag was able to join our weekly meeting in person last October 22 as the CBB Team go together in person once again.
As of November 4, there have been 402 individuals referred to our program coming from 18 jail facilities, 7 police stations, 3 youth centers, and 3 correctional facilities. Of this number 212 had been interviewed. Of the interviewed, 103 had been successfully bailed out while another 49 had been released through other legal means.
More significantly, we have a total of 36 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 2,814,280.00. 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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