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Budget for PDLs' food insufficient amid inflation: BJMP

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Vivienne Gulla, ABS-CBN News

MANILA — The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology’s budget for food for persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) is insufficient amid the increasing prices of basic commodities, its chief said Thursday.BJMP chief J/Dir. Allan Iral shared this before the House Committee on Appropriations deliberating on the agency’s proposed P22.3-billion budget for next year.Iral said the budget for each PDL’s food is P70 per day, &quot;good for 3 meals.&quot; The cost of cooking the food, including fuel, is also sourced from that budget. &quot;We do not use firewood in cooking food. We use LPG, Gasul,&quot; he said as he lamented the high price of LPG.Because of the situation, Iral said they allow outside food, although subject to the inspection of guards.Iral issued the statement after ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro brought up the incident at a BJMP facility in Iloilo wherein PDLs protested over alleged lack and poor quality of food.&quot;There is an ongoing investigation in Iloilo to really find the truth,&quot; Iral told the House committee. &quot;Kasi medyo nagulat din kami na for how many years na, ngayon lang sila nag-e-air ng problema nila diyan sa pagkain.&quot;(We&#x27;re also a bit surprised because many years have passed and they only aired their concerns on the food now.)Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos told Castro that the warden in the facility has been relieved pending the results of the investigation into the incident.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/24/22/warden-sinibak-matapos-magprotesta-ang-mga-inmate-sa-iloilo">Warden ng Iloilo District Jail sinibak matapos magprotesta ang mga inmate</a></li></ul>“The warden has been relieved immediately to make way for an impartial investigation,&quot; Abalos said. &quot;We made sure that everything, from the food, the prisoners are complaining about, everything should be in a very humane environment.&quot;<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KCHD9rR3Dac?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><div>DEATHS AMONG PDLs</div>Meantime, the BJMP reported that so far this year, a total of 608 PDLs have died. Iral said among the top causes are cardiovascular disease, cardiorespiratory arrest, respiratory failure, septic shock, and pneumonia.This figure includes 54 PDLs who died of COVID-19, or 1 percent of the 5,041 PDLs who got infected with the coronavirus.Iral said 97 percent of the 131,670 PDLs in the country have already been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/08/25/22/inmates-eat-only-once-a-day-bjmp-vows-probe-on-iloilo-jail">Inmates eat only once a day? BJMP vows probe on Iloilo jail</a></li></ul>

The BJMP’s budget for food for persons deprived of liberty is insufficient amid the increasing prices of basic commodities, its chief said Thursday.

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Budget for PDLs' food insufficient amid inflation: BJMP

Vivienne Gulla,

ABS-CBN News

Published Sep 01, 2022 09:05 PM PHT

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