Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II has asked new inmates of the New Bilibid Prisons not to engage in illegal drug activities or any other crimes while serving their sentence there.
“Don’t get involved in any mess or anomalous activities here. Don’t get involved in drugs and other crimes here,” Aguirre told more than 1,800 new inmates or persons deprived of liberties at the national penitentiary, who will be spending their first Christmas behind bars.
The DoJ chief stressed that eradicating illegal drugs in the country, including inside the NBP and other penal farms, is the mission of President Rodrigo Duterte.
“You know this is President Duterte’s mission, to cure the drug menace in the Philippines,” Aguirre said during an outreach program for the new inmates.
The secretary assured the inmates their good behavior inside the prison walls will be rewarded with their early release.
“Under the new law on good conduct and time allowance, good conduct and spending time will be the key for your early release,” he stressed.
On Dec. 1, the Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior and Local Government launched the Uniform Manual on Time Allowances and Service of Sentence, which will be used by both the Bureau of Corrections and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.
With the new manual, government officials expect a 20-percent decrease in the prison population now that various jail facilities in the country have, for the first time, a uniform guideline for the time allowances and service of sentence for PDLs.
