Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) chief Jail Director Ruel Rivera (with garland) inspects a jail facility in the Southwestern Tagalog Region on Friday (Feb. 21, 2025). The inspections are part of his visit to ensure operational readiness and boost the morale of BJMP personnel assigned in all city, district, and municipal jails. (Photo courtesy of BJMP)
BATANGAS CITY, Batangas – Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) chief, Jail Director Ruel Rivera, conducted inspections of several jail facilities in the Southwestern Tagalog Region on Friday.
The inspections are part of his visit to ensure operational readiness and boost the morale of BJMP personnel assigned in all city, district, and municipal jails.
Rivera also directed the BJMP personnel to strictly enforce jail rules and regulations and give the utmost service to persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).
BJMP Mimaropa information officer Jail Officer 3 Joefrie Anglo said Rivera had visited Mamburao District Jail, Sablayan Municipal Jail, and San Jose District Jail in Occidental Mindoro, respectively.
BJMP Mimaropa gave assurance it has been taking steps to ease the long-standing problem of overcrowding in jail facilities under the interior department.
Citing data from the Regional Operations Division (ROD), Anglo said as of January this year, the regional jail bureau recorded a jail congestion rate of 169 percent, down from last year’s figures.
The downtrend is attributed to the newly completed facilities in the entire region with the remaining 2,097 PDLs under BJMP custody in its 19 jail facilities across the Mimaropa which composed of Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan.