EU donates P3 million worth of tablets, PPE sets to BJMP

MANILA – The European Union (EU) on Tuesday donated tablets and personal protective equipment (PPE) sets worth P3 million to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) to support the bureau’s efforts in addressing COVID-19.

“The provision of tablets and personal protective equipment reaffirms the European Union’s commitment to enable the justice sector to address the needs of the court and penitentiary systems during this pandemic,” EU Delegation to the Philippines chargé d'affaires Thomas Wiersing said in a statement.

The donation is part of the EU’s Governance in Justice (GOJUST) Programme, which primarily works with key justice sector institutions. The EU has allocated P10 million to support the country’s justice sector in the fight against COVID-19.

The PPE sets and disinfectants will be distributed to various detention centers with high congestion rates. Among these centers are located in Quezon City, Davao City, Cebu City, Angeles City, Bacolod City and Naga City.

The 120 tablets will also be used to support the e-Dalaw (online visitation) program and the pilot testing of hearing criminal cases using video conferencing. The jail bureau has suspended visitation rights as a precautionary measure against the virus.

“The success of our efforts to contain and eradicate COVID-19 in compromised facilities and to prevent it from getting into other jail units depend on the support of partners like the European Union. For this, the BJMP is most thankful,” BJMP director Allan Iral said in a statement.

“Our men and women in jails will continue working round the clock, strictly implementing health protocols and guidelines to make sure that our personnel and PDLs (persons deprived of liberty) remain protected and safe from the virus,” he added.

The BJMP has recorded 716 COVID-19 cases among detainees. The tally includes 167 recoveries.