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P39 per prisoner: Senators slam slashed meal allowance for prisoners

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Dharel Placido, ABS-CBN News

MANILA - Senators on Thursday scrutinized the Bureau of Corrections’ use of meal allowance for prisoners at facilities it manages, after they learned that prisoners do not get the supposed full daily value of meals being served to them.At a Senate hearing on the alleged irregularities at the BuCor, catering service owner Angeline Bautista said she got the contract to supply food for the Correctional Institute for Women in 2018 after putting up a bid of P39 for each prisoner’s meal for the entire day.Sen. Panfilo Lacson, however, pointed out that under the 2018 budget, an inmate under the facilities managed by BuCor should receive P60 worth of meals in a day.“Bakit papakainin mo ang preso ng P39 kung ang budget na binibigay is P60, at least nung 2018? Saan napunta ang balanse?” Lacson said.(Why would feed the inmates with P39 worth of meals a day when their budget is supposed to be P60 each, at least in 2018? What happened to the balance?)Lacson noted that the BuCor had a budget of P1.029 billion in 2018 to feed some 47,000 inmates in its facilities.BuCor officer-in-charge Melvin Ramon Buenafe said he received information that the remainder of the budget sometimes goes for the meal of prisoners during certain events and activities.Lacson, however, said this act could be considered technical malversation, which was seconded by the Commission on Audit.“Hindi niyo ipapakain ang P60 tapos ang balanse na P21 gagamitin niyo sa ibang paraan?” he said.(You would not spend the entire P60 and spend the balance of P21 for other means?)The Senate hearing did not dwell on the budget for the meals of inmates at the New Bilibid Prison, the largest facility managed by BuCor, but one of its inmates, Geoffrey Gamboa, attested to the poor quality of the food being served to the prisoners.“Sa totoo lang, puro sabaw, walang laman, at walang lasa kaya namamatay ang preso dahil walang bitaminang kinakain,” Gamboa said.(The truth is, the meals are all soup, no meat and tasteless, which is why many prisoners are dying due to malnutrition.)BuCor hospital chief Ernesto Tamayo, however, said cases of food poisoning at the Bilbid were “isolated.”Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa, himself a former BuCor chief, said the food services at the national penitentiary indeed leave nothing to be desired.“Actually these caterers, you are only suppliers… Pagdating sa loob ang nagluluto preso, ang nagseserve preso, ang tubig na ginagamit sa pagluto BuCor,” Dela Rosa said.(Actually these caterers, you are only suppliers. Inside, the cooks and servers are the prisoners themselves. The water being used is from BuCor.)“I was really about to question that but my time was very limited.”Bautista, meanwhile, also alleged anomalies on how the BuCor secures its caterers.She said she won this year’s contract but was then told that she was disqualified.“Sabi sa akin ng mga inmate, dapat daw magbigay ako, kasi nung panahon daw ng ibang mga caterers nagbibigay sila,” she said.(Some inmates told me that I should have given BuCor officials grease money because the other caterers do.)She also accused BuCor legal division chief Fredric Anthony Santos of asking P50,000 from her in exchange for his notarial service. She said decided to avail of his service, aware of the influence he wields at the BuCor and its bids and awards committee.Santos said there was nothing irregular in what he did, claiming he was authorized to render notarial services.Still, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon found Santos’ action questionable.“Why can’t the notarial services be performed outside? Why do you have to notarize it? That raises questions of propriety. You could not avoid the perception that you are receiving a gift at the very least,” Drilon said.Lacson, for his part, told Santos: “Ito na naman tayo. Hindi mo ba naisip na it’s bad enough na NBP ka? Hindi mo ba naisip na parang mahalay?”(Here we go again. Haven&#x27;t you considered that it&#x27;s bad enough that you are from NBP? Don&#x27;t you think it looks indecent?)

MANILA - Senators on Thursday scrutinized the Bureau of Corrections’ use of meal allowance for prisoners at facilities it manages, after they learned that prisoners do not get the supposed full daily value of meals being served to them.

MANILA - Senators on Thursday scrutinized the Bureau of Corrections’ use of meal allowance for prisoners at facilities it manages, after they learned that prisoners do not get the supposed full daily value of meals being served to them.

P39 per prisoner: Senators slam slashed meal allowance for prisoners

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P39 per prisoner: Senators slam slashed meal allowance for prisoners

Dharel Placido,

ABS-CBN News

Published October 03, 2019 01:13 PM PHT

|

Updated October 03, 2019 03:08 PM PHT

Read More:

Bureau of Corrections

prisoners

meals

Senate

Panfilo Lacson

Franklin Drilon

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