“They should check their double standards where high-profile human rights violators and criminals such as Gen. Jovito Palparan, guilty of the disappearance of UP activists Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan, has allegedly been receiving VIP or ‘Very Important Prisoner’ treatment.”

MANILA – Kapatid Spokesperson Fides Lim rejected the Bureau of Correction’s (BuCor) justification for banning her from visiting all prison camps, saying that it is an act of reprisal. 

 “This ban on me is not about ‘maintaining order’ but a deliberate act of reprisal intended to silence criticism, punish the truth-teller, and deflect attention from institutional abuse, neglect, and starvation behind bars,” Lim said in a statement. 

Based on a news report, BuCor Director General Gregorio Catapang has permanently banned Lim from visiting jail facilities under its jurisdiction “for disregarding security measures, impatience with verification procedures and confrontational behavior toward prison staff and high-ranking officials.”  

Lim asserted, however, that her actions in BuCor jails have been “principled, lawful, and rooted in moral duty to support political prisoners—many of whom are abandoned and rendered invisible.” 

Lim said that she has followed basic procedures to visit the prison: submitted formal requests, complied with inspections, and never refused frisk searches. 

“What I opposed—rightfully—was being brought into a closed cubicle without witnesses for an illegal and degrading strip and body cavity search,” Lim said. 

Kapatid, a support group of families and friends of political prisoners, has complained about the strip search of female relatives of the political prisoners by jail guards. They asserted that this is against the United Nations (UN) Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Nelson Mandela Rules), which states that search and entry procedures for visitors shall not be degrading. Body cavity searches should be avoided for visitors, and in case of doing so, they shall be conducted by qualified healthcare professionals in a private space.

Read: ‘Dehumanizing and traumatic’ | Kin of political prisoners assail strip search
Read: Daughter of political prisoner assails ‘inhumane’ strip search during jail visit
Read: Daughter of political prisoner subjected to ‘inhumane’ strip search at Metro Manila Jail
Read: Wife of political prisoner decries inhumane treatment

Kapatid conducts regular visits in jails to provide food and other support needed as jail facilities have inadequate supply for all persons deprived of liberty (PDL). 

Human rights group Karapatan also denounced the ban on Lim, saying it “violates human rights standards set under a domestic law in the Philippines and the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners. 

“Considering that, by its own admission, the Bureau of Corrections does not have the resources to provide adequate and nutritious food as well as other needs to the PDLs in their custody, it is both unconscionable and counter-productive for the BuCor to impose a permanent ban on Fides Lim who has been providing humanitarian aid, including food, medicines and other supplies for political prisoners,” said Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay in a statement. 

She added that the ban against Lim underscores the violation of her right to seek redress without fear of reprisal, especially as she raised concerns regarding the policy and practice of strip search of prisoners’ visitors, denial of entry of food and other supplies, and provision of legal assistance to political prisoners in BuCor facilities in Metro Manila.

“The ban on Fides Lim is detrimental to the interests of the political prisoners and the other PDLs she has been servicing, and must be lifted forthwith for their sake,” Palabay said.

The Student Christian Movement of the Philippines (SCMP) also condemned BuCor for banning Lim. “We do not believe that this is a cause of ‘violations of protocol’ and ‘unruly behavior’ but deeply politically motivated especially under the worsening conditions of human rights under the Marcos Jr. administration,” said Kej Andres, SCMP national chairperson, in a statement.  

They also urged the Department of Justice to lift the ban against Lim. “They should check their double standards where high-profile human rights violators and criminals such as Gen. Jovito Palparan, guilty of the disappearance of UP activists Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan, has allegedly been receiving VIP or ‘Very Important Prisoner’ treatment,” said Andres.

Meanwhile, Lim urged the 20th Congress to scrutinize the budget of the BuCor, citing persistent rights violations, subhuman prison conditions, and the arbitrary permanent ban on her. 

“Where does the budget of BuCor really go?” Lim asked. 

“Despite funding for so-called ‘security upgrades’—and the use of actual x-ray machines—the BuCor enforces irrational, arbitrary, and oppressive procedures, especially against those visiting political prisoners who are well known not to engage in illegal drugs. The system is so convoluted and exhausting, it’s become a circus that even a dog would tire out from jumping through every bureaucratic, loopy hoop they keep inventing for show,” Lim said. 

Lim said that in last year’s budget hearings, it was revealed that National Bilibid Prison (NBP) was named as the epicenter of the drug trade in the Philippines despite “strict protocols.” 

“When protocols are this many yet such problems persist, it raises serious questions about who the rules are really protecting. The red tape or banning isn’t about safety and order—it’s about power and unchecked discretion,” Lim said. 

She added that they can testify that because of excessive red tape and multiple restrictions, political prisoners and other PDLs continue to suffer from hunger, malnutrition and lack of clean water, and die from preventable illnesses like tuberculosis and hypertension.

Read: Former political prisoners decry low food, medicine budget for detainees
Read: Prison guards delay Bilibid political prisoners access to essential amenities

Last February, Kapatid said that donations such as rice cookers were withheld by the jail guards of the NBP for months. Despite repeated appeal, the group said BuCor has refused to turn over the donated items amid frequent shortages. 

As of May 31, 2024, the NBP Maximum Compound is holding 14,920 PDLs with a congestion rate of 158 percent. (RVO)