BY REY PANALIGAN
The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday stopped all trial court judges from ordering the transfer of convicted persons from the detention cells of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) to the jail facilities of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) in a move to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Court Administrator Jose Midas P. Marquez said the directive, which should be enforced until Aug. 31, 2020, was issued on request of BuCor Director General Gerald Q. Bantag.
Last July 22, Bantag sent a letter to the SC requesting the suspension of the transfer of convicted persons from BJMP jails to BuCor facilities “to prevent the further contamination of COVID-19 among persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) and to minimize the movement of PDLs from BJMP to BuCor.” (Rey Panaligan)
