Four days of protest and collective action by the detainees of Negros Occidental District Jail-Male Dormitory (NODJ-MD) in Barangay Tabunan, Bago City, Negros Occidental forced the abusive Warden JCINSP Atty. Crisyrel P. Awe, DSC to resign from his post on the afternoon of August 28. More than 600 prisoners began the collective action on August 24.

The action was their response to the series of violations of their rights inside the jail under Awe’s leadership. The detainees earlier launched a boycott of prison activities such as religious gatherings, Alternative Learning System classes, cleaning duties, and other programs.

On August 28, they held a noise barrage and protest that lasted eight hours. During the first hours of the demonstration, jail authorities fired rubber bullets at the inmates, used tear gas, and threatened to use a water cannon. Power was cut off in their dormitories.

The prisoners’ determination pushed the holding of a dialogue between their leaders, Awe, a Bureau of Jail Management and Penology Negros Island Region (BJMP-NIR) representative, Commission on Human Rights (CHR) members, and some lawyers. Awe resigned thereafter.

The grounds for Awe’s removal included cases of harassment and intimidation of prisoner leaders, failure to honor previous agreements, unjust isolation, and irregularities in the cashless system enforced in the jail. Prisoners also suffered from reduced food rations, prohibition of visits, suspension of livelihood and vegetable gardening programs inside the jail, and denial of access to medicine and medical services.

Different groups, including religious leaders, supported the prisoners’ protest. On August 28, San Carlos Bishop Most Rev. Gerardo Alminaza, incoming chairperson of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-Episcopal Commission on Social Action, Justice, and Peace, called for nightly prayers for the detainees and their demands.

On the day of the prisoners’ protest, their families expressed support by holding a picket outside the jail. On August 29, Human Rights Advocates Negros (HRAN) held a mass in front of the jail as support for the prisoners’ struggle. The group urged BJMP to continue a thorough investigation and review of the policies implemented by Awe.

NODJ-MD has 31 dormitories, with 24 regular dorms, 6 insular dorms for convicted prisoners, and one isolation dorm. The detainees include 24 political prisoners like Fr. Frank Fernandez.