On May 15, the Department of Justice revised the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 730, the law that grants compensation to victims of unjust imprisonment and detention and to victims of violent crimes. The said law established the Board of Claims to serve as the channel for compensation to victims.

In the revised IRR, the scope of crimes as well as the beneficiaries of the law were expanded. Victims of violence against women and children, children who are victims of online sexual abuse and exploitation, abduction, trafficking victims, victims of enforced disappearance, and their families may now seek compensation. Those who were unjustly accused, sentenced, and imprisoned, and later released after acquittal, may also seek compensation.

According to the law, victims of unjust imprisonment or detention will receive ₱1,000 for each month of detention. In other cases, the maximum compensation is ₱10,000 or the actual amount spent by the victim for treatment, hospitalization, lost wages, or other expenses related to the injury.

The law also states that the victim may seek compensation only within six months from the time of release from imprisonment, or from the occurrence of the injury.

Bayan Muna former representative Atty. Neri Colmenares, Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, and Bishop Gerardo Alminaza have long advocated the revision of the IRR.

David previously suggested that those imprisoned or Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDL) who are later released should be given compensation based on the number of years they were imprisoned, so that PDLs have a resource to start a new life.

Colmenares added, “The innocent who are imprisoned should not simply be released without justice–they should also be given adequate compensation for the time, opportunities, and dignity they lost. This is the least the government can do for those deprived of their freedom and who have experienced inhumane conditions inside prison.”

Colmenares said unjust detention is a violation of human rights. “Many imprisoned people should not have been there in the first place–farmers, workers, youth, and activists who were accused of fabricated cases. For those who acquitted, being released is not enough. To serve justice, the state should make amends by giving them compensation and helping them rebuild their lives.”