THE Commission on Audit (COA) has warned that the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) is severely undermanned to properly perform its mandate with a ratio of one custodial personnel against 12 to 20 prisoners, a far cry from the ideal ratio of 1:7 as provided under RA 10575 or the Bureau of Corrections Act of 2013.
The BucCr is forced to operate on a 1:95 to 1:279 reformation personnel-to-inmate ratio when the recommended balance is 1:24.
The agency admitted that it is having a hard time filling out vacancies in both positions due to a low turnout of applicants.
To make matters whose, several of those who submitted their applications turned out to be unqualified.
Expenditure reports showed that out of the P390 million budget for recruitment of new corrections officers last year, only P44.95 million was used, leaving P259.86 million equivalent to 85.25 percent of available funds untouched.
Among the prison facilities run by BuCssor, the worst manpower shortage was reported at the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) where there are 28 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) for every corrections officer (CorO) and 279 PDLs for each corrections technical officer (CTO).
The New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) was at second spot with 1:20 ratio of CorO to PDL and 1:173 for CTO to PDL.
Also suffering from the same problems are the Davao Prison and Penal Farm (DPPF), Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm (IPPF), Leyte Regional Prison (LRP), Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm (SPPF), and San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm (SRPPF).
“Failure to maximize utilization of NCAs (notice of cash allocations) …indicates poor cash programming and expenditure planning: thus, may affect performance and accomplishment of its mandate,” the COA said.
The audit team also flagged the payment of P176.315 million for catering services on inmates’ meals at the Davao Prison and Penal Farm and the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm on the ground of deficient documentation.
Documents submitted for audit were only the Agreement for Extension, Notices of Extension, and the Bids and Awards Committee Resolution No. 2020-18.
Auditors said proof of food safety requirements were not complied with in the absence of sanitary permits by the selected caterers, health clearance certificates for food handlers, certificate of meat inspection, quarterly analysis of water quality, certificate of potability, and certificate that the establishment conducted pest treatment and fumigation at least twice a year.
