Senator Leila de Lima called on the COVID-19 Inter-Agency Task Force to hasten the vaccination of inmates, citing the cramped up situation in the country's jails and correctional facilities.
"This representation respectfully suggests that our PDLs likewise be considered to move up the [vaccination priority] list, particularly in areas with high COVID-19 incidence," De Lima said in a letter to National Task Force Against COVID-19 chief implementer Carlito Galvez, Jr. dated June 1."I implore the IATF to take into consideration the particular vulnerabilities in the case of the PDLs as justification for their immediate vaccination.
De Lima cited the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology saying there is a 608% congestion rate in the National Capital Region, and 442% nationwide. "Many of our PDLs in our jails are still being tried and have yet to be convicted of the charges against them. Thus, they still enjoy the constitutional presumption of innocence. It would be yet another injustice for them if they were to be infected by COVID-19 in spite of the availability of inoculation," she said.
Last April, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the IATF has rejected the request of the Department of Justice to include inmates in the priority list. But he added that the agency will try its best to have inmates vaccinated.Around 3,000 cases of COVID-19 infection among inmates and personnel were recorded in jails nationwide last year.