Camp Bagong Diwa

Camp Bagong Diwa
The gate of the National Capital Region Police Office at Camp Bagong Diwa
Map
General information
AddressGen Santos Avenue, Lower Bicutan
Town or cityTaguig
Country Philippines
Coordinates14°29′12″N 121°03′23″E / 14.48679°N 121.05635°E / 14.48679; 121.05635
Current tenants

Camp Bagong Diwa (lit. 'new spirit') is the headquarters of the National Capital Region Police Office,[1] located in Lower Bicutan, Taguig, Philippines. It was formerly called as Camp Ricardo Papa in 1999[2] to early 2000s.

Functions

The camp serves many functions: within its gates are enclosed a police academy and the Taguig City Jail,[3] but also several jail "annexes" which house inmates the government believes to be too notorious or too dangerous to be safely housed among the regular prison population. As of December 2018, the camp contains the Manila City Jail Annex, the Quezon City Jail Annex, and the Metro Manila District Jail Annexes 1, 2, and 3.[4][3]

The camp also contains the highest security prisons in the Philippines, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology's Special Intensive Care Area (SICA) 1 and SICA 2.[5]

As of 2018, within SICA 1 and 2 were housed accused terrorists of the Moro National Liberation Front, Abu Sayyaf, and Maute groups along with accused communist rebels from the New People's Army (Communist Party of the Philippines).[4]

History

During the Marcos dictatorship

See also: Human rights abuses of the Marcos dictatorship and September 1984 Welcome Rotonda protest dispersal

During the Marcos dictatorship, Camp Bagong Diwa was known as the Bicutan Rehabilitation Center, a major detention center for political detainees.[6] Some of the prominent prisoners kept there at different times include journalist Chelo Banal-Formoso,[7] activist couple Mon and Ester Isberto,[8] and in the aftermath of the September 1984 Welcome Rotonda protest dispersal,[9] Senators Lorenzo Tanada and Soc Rodrigo, and future Senators Tito Guingona, Aquilino Pimentel Jr., and Joker Arroyo.[10]

Prison riots

On 14 March 2005, inmates from the Abu Sayyaf Group rioted inside the prison in an apparent escape attempt and barricaded the second floor of the building, leading to a standoff which ended the next day when government forces stormed the prison. 24 Abu Sayyaf members, including three of the group's leaders, three prison guards and a police officer were killed.[11]

On 7 May 2006, 14 inmates were injured in a two-hour riot between criminal gangs. Among the injured were four Abu Sayyaf members.[12]

On 6 June 2017, two inmates were killed after a noise barrage held in protest over a five-day power outage descended into a riot between criminal gangs. 17 others were injured.[13]

Overcrowding status

As a general rule, for security reasons, the jails within Camp Bagong Diwa tend to be much less overcrowded than the Philippines jails outside; SICA 1 in April 2018 was only 25% overcrowded.[4] However, this is not always the case; Camp Bagong Diwa also contains the Bureau of Immigration Bicutan Detention Center, which as of April 2020, is 278% overcrowded, with a capacity of 150 but a population of 418.[14]

References

  1. ^ Talabong, Rambo (19 December 2019). "Camp Bagong Diwa now on lockdown for Ampatuan massacre verdict". Rappler. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  2. ^ Ignacio, Bert; Evangelista, Romie A. (10 June 1999). "7 rookie cops axed". Manila Standard.
  3. ^ a b "South & Central Sector". Bureau of Jail Management and Penology—Republic of the Philippines. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Jones, Clarke; Narag, Raymund E. (7 December 2018). Inmate Radicalisation and Recruitment in Prisons. Routledge. pp. 187–189. ISBN 978-1-317-51048-2.
  5. ^ Reyes, Napoleon C.; Vaughn, Michael S. (1 March 2009). "Revisiting the Bicutan Siege: Police Use of Force in a Maximum Security Detention Center in the Philippines". International Criminal Justice Review. 19 (1): 25–45. doi:10.1177/1057567708330891. ISSN 1057-5677. S2CID 144562158.
  6. ^ "Report of an AI Mission to the Republic of the Philippines 1981" (PDF).
  7. ^ "Inside Bicutan in time of worse than cholera". 25 September 2014.
  8. ^ "Martial Law victims: 'Remember us'". 3 August 2013.
  9. ^ "Martial Law Museum".
  10. ^ Jazmines, Alan (25 September 2014). "Camp Bagong Diwa, during martial law and now". Bulatlat. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  11. ^ Punay, Edu (16 March 2005). "Troops storm jail; 23 dead". Philstar.com. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  12. ^ Villanueva, Rhodina (9 May 2006). "Riot at Bagong Diwa: 4 Abus hurt". Philstar.com. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  13. ^ "2 inmates dead, 17 wounded in riot during protest over power outage in Camp Bagong Diwa jail". interaksyon.philstar.com. 7 June 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  14. ^ Nicole-Anne C. Lagrimas (23 April 2020). "BI still determining foreign detainees eligible for bail—spokesperson". GMA News Online. Retrieved 28 April 2020.