Political prisoners and other inmates at the Negros Occidental District Jail-Male Dormitory (NODJ-MD) in Bago City, Negros Occidental protested again on December 3. They condemned the ongoing cruel and inhumane treatment by jail personnel under the leadership of Warden Jsupt. Crisyrel Awe.

The inmates reported excessive restrictions, collective punishment, irregular and unsafe sunning schedules, insufficient food and medicine, and humiliating frisking of visitors at the jail. These issues were the same reasons for the four-day protest and collective action of more than 600 inmates last August which forced Awe to step down from his position.

He was reinstated in October and resumed his repression of the inmates. This included arbitrary isolation and harassment of the political prisoner Lorenzo Perolino, one of the inmate negotiators during the protest period. On November 7, an inmate died from Awe’s repressive and oppressive policies.

To again publicly expose their situation, the inmates launched a fasting protest, saying this will continue until justice is achieved.

According to Human Rights Advocates Negros (HRAN), Awe’s implemented policies violate laws including the Anti-Torture Act of 2009 and the Rights of Persons Arrested, Detained, or Under Custodial Investigation. These also go against international standards such as the United Nations 2015 Nelson Mandela Rules.

The detainees released a statement saying the fasting protest continues their struggle for dignity, justice, and humanity inside the jails. “We will not be silenced. We will fight. We will demand accountability,” the detainees declared.

Supporting the protest, the detainees’ relatives and families held a picket in front of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology-Negros Island Region (BJMP-NIR) in Bacolod City. They called for immediate action from Regional Director JCSUPT Brendan Fulgencio regarding the worsening situation in NOJD-MD.

San Carlos Diocese bishop and Caritas Philippines president Bishop Gerardo Alminaza expressed support for the struggle of the detainees and their families. Karapatan and the Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA), a group of former political prisoners, also supported their cause.

According to SELDA, the protest fast exposes the structural injustice in the Philippine penal system. “This struggle educates the public on the urgent need for reform and the protection of human rights inside detention facilities,” the group stated.