SC Justice Singh Champions Reformation and Good Conduct at Correctional Institution for Women
April 19, 2024
Supreme Court Associate Justice Maria Filomena D. Singh, Co-Chairperson of the Committee on Gender Responsiveness in the Judiciary, speaks to one of the elderly women in conflict with the law to assure them that there is reformation and a life to look forward to outside of the Correctional Institution for Women on April 18, 2024. (Photo Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
Supreme Court Associate Justice Maria Filomena D. Singh has encouraged inmates not to lose hope during a visit to the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City on April 18, 2024.
“Habang nabubuhay tayo, maniwala tayo na may pag-asa…Gusto ko na tingnan ninyo ang sarili ninyo at maniwala kayo na mayroon pang mabuti sa loob ninyo. Yun ang lagi ninyong tandaan. Don’t let anybody else tell you otherwise (As long as we live, let us believe that there is hope…I want you to look at yourself and believe that there is still good within you. Always remember that. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise),” Justice Singh said to the CIW residents.
Justice Singh co-chairs the Committee on Gender Responsiveness in the Judiciary (CGRJ) with Associate Justice Henri Jean Paul B. Inting and Associate Justice Jhosep Y. Lopez. The CIW visit was organized by the CGRJ Technical Working Group (TWG) to Develop the Protocol for Handling of Cases of Women in Conflict with the Law.
During the visit, the CIW residents were interviewed and consulted by the TWG to gather information on the inmates’ conditions and experiences that deal with the handling of their cases to aid the CGRJ in crafting a Protocol for Handling of Cases of Women in Conflict with the Law.
The CIW visit comes at the heels of the Supreme Court En Banc’s recent ruling in G.R. No. 249027 and G.R. No. 249155 (Guinto et al., v. Department of Justice; Inmates of New Bilibid Prison, et al. v. Department of Justice) allowing persons convicted of heinous crimes to avail of Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) in serving their sentences. The said ruling was penned by Justice Singh.
Speaking to the CIW residents, Justice Singh stressed that the GCTA is not something new, as it already exists in the Revised Penal Code (RPC), but with the said decision, the Court clarified that even persons convicted of heinous crimes are also entitled to GCTA.
“Na-desisyunan na natin at sabi po natin na kahit heinous [crime] offender, recidivist, o habitual delinquent, puwede pong magka-GCTA. Ang katwiran po natin, lahat naman tayo nagkakamali. Pare-pareho po tayong tao. Ang sistema po ng ating penology o yung pagkakapiit ng ating mga nakalabag ng batas ay tinatawag nating ‘reformative’. Xxx Kaya nga po ang tawag diyan ay “correctional,” winawasto. So habang kayo ay nandidito sa ating institute, mayroon po tayong mga programa para kayo ay mapabuti para paglabas ninyo ay ready na kayo, mare-resist ninyo na ang pagbalik doon sa landas na hindi tama (We have deliberated on it, saying that even heinous [crime] offenders, recidivists, habitual delinquents, can receive GCA. Our reasoning is that we all make mistakes. We are all human beings. The system of our penology or the incarceration of those who have violated the law is what we call ‘reformative.’ Xxx That’s why it’s called ‘correctional,’ to correct. So while you are here at the Institution, we have programs to help you with your reformation so when you get out you are ready and strong enough to resist the urge to return to the wrong path),” Justice Singh emphasized.
“Huwag ninyong hayaan na ang naging desisyon sa kaso ninyo ay magsabi sa inyo na kayo ay masama at wala nang saysay. Ang buhay ninyo ay may saysay pa rin. Tandaan po ninyo ang mga naghihintay sa inyo sa labas—ang mga anak ninyo, mga kapatid, mga magulang, mga asawa ninyo, at mga mahal ninyo sa buhay (Do not allow the decision in your case to make you believe that you are bad and worthless. Your life still has meaning. Remember the people waiting for you outside—your children, siblings, parents, spouses, and loved ones),” Justice Singh concluded.
Justice Singh exhorted the female Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) to earn GCTA credits so they can be reunited with their families soon. She mentioned the “Read Your Way Out Program” which awards good conduct credit through a reading program for the PDLs. She also praised the cultural presentation of the PDLs, which she endorsed to the Superintendent of the Institute as worthy of credits as the activity is a constructive means of devoting their time inside the Institution.
The panel interview of CIW residents was conducted by CGRJ Vice Chairperson Associate Justice Maria Theresa V. Mendoza-Arcega of the Sandiganbayan, with Associate Justice Jaime Fortunato A. Caringal of the Court of Appeals, Assistant Secretary Randolph A. Pascasio of the Department of Justice, and Judge Bernard P. Bernal of the Taguig City Regional Trial Court, Branch 70.
That same day, the Supreme Court held an outreach program at CIW as the culminating activity of its 2024 Women’s Month Celebration. Organized by the Employee Training and Development Division of the Office of Administrative Services, in coordination with the CGRJ, the Court brought donations in kind, which included sacks of rice and toiletries, which were received by Correctional Senior Superintendent Daisy Castillote and Senior Superintendent Cynthia Andrada. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
Associate Justice Maria Filomena D. Singh leads the Committee on Gender Responsiveness in the Judiciary (CGRJ) in singing the National Anthem at the CGRJ’s visit to the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City on April 18, 2024. (From left) Judge Bernard P. Bernal, Regional Trial Court-Br. 70, Taguig City; Associate Justice Jaime Fortunato A. Caringal, Court of Appeals; CGRJ Vice Chairperson Associate Justice Maria Theresa V. Mendoza-Arcega, Sandiganbayan; Assistant Secretary Gil T. Torralba, Deputy Director General of the Bureau of Corrections, and Assistant Secretary Randolph A. Pascasio, Department of Justice. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Maria Theresa V. Mendoza-Arcega, Committee on Gender Responsiveness in the Judiciary (CGRJ) Vice Chairperson, leads the panel who interviewed the inmates at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City on April 18, 2024. The interview is aimed at gathering information on the inmates’ conditions and experiences that deal with the handling of their cases to aid the CGRC in crafting a Protocol for Handling of Cases of Women in Conflict with the Law. With Justice Mendoza-Arcega are (from left) Judge Bernard P. Bernal, Regional Trial Court-Br. 70, Taguig City; Associate Justice Jaime Fortunato A. Caringal, Court of Appeals, and Assistant Secretary Randolph A. Pascasio of the Department of Justice. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
Among the identified areas by the Committee on Gender Responsiveness in the Judiciary that requires intervention is the handling of cases involving women in conflict with the law and deprived of liberty (WICLs), who face notably high vulnerabilities from abuse and the deprivation of basic right-based gender specific needs. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)