A transport vehicle of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology - Santa Rosa is shown in this file photo from January 24, 2024. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File

QUEZON CITY – The Bureau of Corrections and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology have expressed support for a measure at the Senate seeking to establish a digital prisons record system.

In a Senate hearing on Tuesday, Representatives from the BuCor and BJMP said they back Senate Bill No. 2543 or the Digital Prison Records System Act.

"At present we have existing system called the One BuCor system. All the records of the BuCor are now digitalized. But we need to enhance and improve the system. Marami pa pong kulang pa eh, natapos na po yung kontrata doon. With this bill maeenhance yung ano," BuCor Deputy Director General Al Perreras said.

"Yung interconnectivity hindi namin maano eh, hindi namin magawa pa. Interconnectivity with external clients like for example yung Board of Parole and Pardon, doon po dadaan yung ano naman eh. Hindi po naaano," he added.

The BuCor official said the digital prison record system is already provided for until Republic Act No. 10575 or the Bureau of Corrections Modernization Act.

BJMP Jail Senior Inspector Socrates Nicart believes the measure will “address fragmentation in the justice sector.”

"Right now there are different systems within the justice sector but they run in silos. This will pave way for a seamless exchange of information among the different agencies especially within the jail cluster," he said.

"Right now ang nangyayari is nage-encode ang BJMP. So na-encode namin ang lahat ng records, however ang kulang lang is yung connectivity between BuCor and BJMP. Yun po ang ginagawa ng National Justice Information System sir, may ginagawa silang API na mag connect ng different agencies.  Sa ngayon kasi nakumpleto namin lahat ng agencies nakapag encode na. Ang kulang nalang is yung API that will, para mabasa ng bawat agencies yung data from other agencies," Nicart explained.

He said the BJMP has 121,070 records under the Single Carpeta System or a comprehensive case monitoring and information system that tracks the progress of cases from one agency to another.

The records of the persons deprived with liberty (PDL) include important files like the commitment order and case information.

BuCor said the API developed by the NJIS is already undergoing testing and the target for completion is this year.

DILG Undersecretary Serafin Barretto said the establishment of a digital prison record system can have “significant and far-reaching impact on management and administration” of jail and correctional facilities.

"Digital prison record system can enhance accuracy and managing the info of persons deprived of liberty, could contribute to greater transparency and accountability in the jail and correction system, could facilitate communication and data sharing between BuCor and BJMP," Barretto said.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology also supports the measure but calls for proper security measures.

"If we really want to enhance the operations of the government, we have to adapt ICT solutions para ma administer ang data and information. We want to put emphasis that proper safeguard and security measures should be defined and provided in the bill to make sure the data is secured," Delia Basada of the Government Digital Transformation Bureau said.

Meanwhile, Senator Robin Padilla reiterated the importance of interconnectivity between the digital prison records systems in ensuring justice is delivered, with regards to the computation of the good conduct time allowance (GCTA).

Senator Koko Pimentel also underscored the important of fulfilling the goal of a Single Carpeta System.

Pimentel said he will speak with the author of the measure, Senator Lito Lapid on the adjustments needed before they file the bill before the plenary.