Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla recommended placing the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) under the Department of Justice (DOJ) to eliminate clerical delays that hinder the timely release of persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).
Remulla presented the proposal during the agency’s budget hearing before the House Committee on Appropriations on Thursday, August 27.
The suggestion came after ACT Teachers Party-list Representative Antonio Tinio raised concerns regarding detainees who remain in jail despite completing their sentences due to administrative oversights.
Highlighting the inefficiency of maintaining duplicate records across different agencies, Remulla urged lawmakers to consider consolidating BJMP with the DOJ’s Bureau of Corrections (BuCor).
“It is our position that the BJMP should be transferred under the [DOJ], under the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor),” Remulla told Tinio.
“Dalawang pong karpeta eh, may karpeta ang BJMP, may karpeta ang Bucor,” the DILG chief pointed out.
“I think it would be prudent for Congress to help us into combining the BuCor and BJMP into one facility since they perform the same jobs, basically, they just mirroring each other,” he added.
Remulla emphasized that the integration should also cover municipal and provincial detention facilities to optimize government resources and ensure fair processing for inmates.
“So we’re asking Congress for help, the President’s help, in combining the two agencies for more efficient use of resources and for fair treatment of the Persons Deprived of Liberty if they have to release of not,” Remulla said.
Currently, local jails house suspects awaiting final trial verdicts, while convicted individuals serve their sentences in facilities managed by BuCor, such as the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).
The NBP presently suffers from severe overcrowding, accommodating more than 20,000 inmates—nearly triple its designated capacity.