72% of PDLs now vaccinated vs COVID
A TOTAL of 35, 111 out of 48, 598 persons deprived of liberty or 72.25 percent in seven prison facilities under the Bureau of Corrections have received, either their first shot or complete dose, of vaccine against COVID-19.
At the densely-packed New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City, 20, 752 PDLs have received their first shot, while 1, 382 were fully vaccinated or 77.62 percent.
NBP has a total population of 28, 516 PDLs.
At the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City, 3, 100 out of 3, 360 PDLs or 92.26 percent are now fully-vaccinated.
Just the other day, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said that he will ask National Task Force Against COVID-19 and vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. to include PDLs in the scheduled mass vaccination drive from November 29 to December 1, 2021.
“The DOJ (Department of Justice) will request the National Task Force Against Covid-19 headed by Sec. Galvez to include all PDLs in our prison facilities throughout the country in the massive vaccination drive scheduled on Nov. 29-Dec 1, 2021.”
” I understand that we have millions of doses available for this big event, so this is the opportune time to consider the health of our PDLs who are at risk of infection due to prison overcrowding, ” Guevarra said.
The DOJ has been pushing for the inclusion of PDLs in the government’s national vaccination program.
Previously, a support group for families and friends of political prisoners called on the government to include PDLs in the government’s immunization program for COVID-19.
In a letter to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, KAPATID spokesperson Fides Lim said that “ thousands of PDLs including the 680 political prisoners, should not be denied their right to get a shot of the COVID-19 vaccine as they are clearly not spared from the dangers posed by the contagious and deadly disease.”
“We ask your office to help ensure the rights to life and health of prisoners, including all political prisoners. Please do not fail them this time like how they were failed when our petition seeking the release of medically vulnerable prisoners – the very old, the very sick and pregnant women – took five months with the Supreme Court only to be remanded to the lower courts for even slower action,” Lim said.
