PRESO, INC. MONTHLY ACCOMPLISHMENT REPORT 2-29 AUGUST

For the month of August we continued our two-pronged approach towards addressing the needs of PDL towards early release and aftercare with our Community Bail Bond Program and Better Versions Initiatives.

COMMUNITY BAIL BOND PROGRAM

What has been done:

Our Program Field Officers continued with their regular activities that included conducting weekly monitoring/home visits of successfully released participants, providing guidance and updating the steps they are taking towards becoming productive members of their communities.

Ten of our CBB Participants had scheduled hearings for the period covered. Three hearings pushed through while the other eleven were postponed/reset for various reasons.

Our partners at Cagayan de Oro were able to release two CBB beneficiaries through bail. They are being provided formation and assistance towards reintegration.

As of August 29, there have been 527 individuals referred to our program coming from 24 city jail facilities, 2 provincial jail facilities, 17 police stations, 3 youth centers, 3 correctional facilities, and 3 national agencies. Of this number 267 had been interviewed. Of the interviewed, 155 had been successfully bailed out while another 55 had been released through other legal means.

More significantly, we have a total of 84 CBB Participants who have successfully graduated from the CBB Program. We consider participants as having successfully graduated from the Program after their cases have been closed, and at least another six months of monitoring have elapsed. Throughout this period, they must have shown to be responsible members of their community and can lead productive lives.

With their release, the government has now saved ₱ 5,586,830.00. This is computed by adding the amount budgeted per day (PhP70 for food) per PDL multiplied by the number of days since the day of the release from jail of every individual Participant. These savings will increase as days go by and as long as their cases are not terminated. For those whose cases are dismissed, served early or whose probation was approved, we expect a savings of least 60 days of non-incarceration.

Additionally, on top of the food savings by the government, these individuals are now back to the community and actively engaged in their livelihood- hence contributing to the economy. We minimized their exposure to the criminogenic jail environment leading to better reentry to the society as responsible members.

BETTER VERSIONS INITIATIVE

Four of our first batch of beneficiaries under the Bukas Loob Tungo sa Bagong Pag-Asa project were provided capital loan assistance based on the microbusiness proposals they developed during the workshop sessions conducted from May-July. The other two beneficiaries are currently being assisted in developing their microbusiness and aftercare needs.

Meanwhile our BANDILA Aftercare Program at Manila City Jail has conducted itspre-release interventions for a third batch PDL due for release within August and September. A total of 99 PDL participated in the sessions.

OTHER PRESO, INC. ACTIVITIES FOR THE MONTH

Our partners, Dr. Jean Rafanan and Bro. Emman Soabas of the Commission on Biblical Apostolate continued with their weekly virtual values formation sessions at selected BJMP Jails.

We attended a special meeting arranged by the Coalition Against the Death Penalty (CADP) last August 13 to discuss expanded advocacies.

We extended capital loan assistance to a released PDL from the Correctional Institute for Women (CIW) who obtained her release after 30 years of incarceration.

Last Aug 31 we took part in the first exploratory meeting convened by His Eminence, Ambo Cardinal David, to begin the formation of an Access to Justice Ministry within the Diocese of Kalookan. This ministry, the first of its kind in the diocese, is envisioned as a concrete response to the suffering of families like that of Dion Angelo “Gelo” dela Rosa, the young altar server whose untimely death while seeking justice for his father became a painful symbol of systemic neglect and abuse.

We held a special PRESO, Inc. Board Meeting last August 20 and welcomed two new Board Members as we continue to chart the organization's direction in the coming years.

As we forge ahead with our Community Bail Bond Program and Better Versions Initiatives, we continue to learn and re-learn approaches and procedures. And this is a welcome experience for us. We envision that more PDLs and CICLs would be assisted soon with their liberties restored, their dignity regained and that their lives are eventually rebuilt. We as a community have a significant role in all these. In the long run, support for our prisons and prisoners as a whole would benefit all of society in terms of lower rates of recidivism and increased sense of public safety. GOD IS ON OUR SIDE!