Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ____ 
Introduced by HON. LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR.,  
HON. MIGUEL LUIS R. VILLAFUERTE, HON. TSUYOSHI ANTHONY “HORI” G. 
HORIBATA AND HON. NICOLAS “NICK” ENCISO VIII 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Republic Act No. 6975 otherwise known as the "Department of the Interior and Local 
Government Act of 1990" provides that the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology 
(BJMP) shall exercise supervision and control over all city and municipal jails while 
provincial jails shall be supervised and controlled by the provincial government within its 
jurisdiction. Such fragmented setup has led to gaps in standards in the treatment of 
persons deprived of liberty.  
Records from the BJMP show that of the 74 provincial jails nationwide, 13 provincial jails 
are now being supervised and manned by the BJMP by virtue of a memorandum of 
agreement between the LGUs and the provincial governments. Meanwhile, seven 
provinces have no provincial jails. The DILG through Secretary Eduardo Año has 
expressed support to such integration, noting that the transfer of provincial jails to BJMP 
“will also be advantageous to the local governments” as they will not anymore worry about 
issues like riots, jailbreaks, salaries of local jail personnel, and meals for inmates. 
According to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), some jails 
managed by local government units usually employ ill-trained and equipped personnel 
and lack adequate facilities making them prone to escapes. In 2016, eight members of a 
local terrorist group escaped the Lanao del Sur Provincial Jail located in Marawi City after 
fully armed men stormed the prison, which authorities believed was a rescue operation 
to free the leader of the local terrorist gang Maute Group. In 2018, an inmate was killed 
while trying to escape with six others from the Maguindanao Provincial Jail. The inmates 
managed to bolt out by tinkering with the jail’s main locks while jail authorities were 
preparing the day's pre-dawn meal for the Ramadan fasting inside the prison facility. 
To further prevent jailbreaks, this bill seeks to integrate all provincial jails into the BJMP 
to professionalize and standardize the management of jails at the local level. This 
measure will also ensure that local jails are manned by highly-trained and competent jail 
personnel. 
September 13, 2022
8:00 am
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In consideration of the foregoing premises, the passage of this bill is humbly sought. 
 
 
 
 
LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR.             MIGUEL LUIS R. VILLAFUERTE   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
TSUYOSHI ANTHONY “HORI” G. HORIBATA  
 
NICOLAS “NICK” ENCISO VIII 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ____ 
Introduced by HON. LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR.,  
HON. MIGUEL LUIS R. VILLAFUERTE, HON. TSUYOSHI ANTHONY “HORI” G. 
HORIBATA AND HON. NICOLAS “NICK” ENCISO VIII 
AN ACT 
TRANSFERRING TO THE BUREAU OF JAIL MANAGEMENT AND 
PENOLOGY THE AUTHORITY TO EXERCISE SUPERVISION AND 
CONTROL OVER PROVINCIAL JAILS AND APPROPRIATING 
FUNDS THEREFOR 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology shall exercise supervision 
and control over provincial jails. For this purpose the current supervision and control of 
provincial jails by provincial governments are hereby transferred to the Bureau of Jail 
Management and Penology. Each provincial jail shall be headed by a provincial jail 
warden with a rank of superintendent who must be a graduate of Bachelor of Laws or a 
holder of a master’s degree in management, public administration, public safety, 
criminology, penology, sociology, national security administration, defense studies or 
other related disciplines from a recognized institution of learning, and must have 
satisfactorily passed the necessary training or career courses for superintendent position 
as may be established by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology. 
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A provincial jail warden shall be appointed by the Chief of the Jail Bureau and the 
appointment must be attested to by the Civil Service Commission. 
 
SECTION 2. Within six (6) months from the effectivity of this Act, the Secretary of the 
Interior and Local Government and the Secretary of Budget and Management shall revise 
the organizational structure and staffing pattern of the Bureau of Jail Management and 
Penology to include the necessary manpower to operate provincial jails. 
 
SECTION 3. All the existing provincial jail facilities, equipment, records, rights, liabilities 
and other assets pertaining to provincial jails of every provincial government are hereby 
transferred to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology. 
 
The incumbent personnel of provincial jails shall continue to perform their duties and 
responsibilities in a holdover capacity until such time that qualified personnel are, based 
on the staffing pattern, assigned and appointed. The qualified incumbent personnel of 
provincial jails may be absorbed by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology without 
loss of seniority. 
 
Any personnel who are not absorbed by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology 
shall be given preference in the filling-up of vacancies in the provincial government or 
shall be allowed to retire under existing laws, rules and regulations. 
 
SECTION 4. The amount necessary for the initial implementation of this Act shall be 
sourced from the current appropriations of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology. 
Thereafter, such sums as may be necessary for the continued implementation of this Act 
must be included in the General Appropriations Act. 
 
SECTION 5. Within ninety (90) days from the approval of this Act, the Secretary of the 
Interior and Local Government, in coordination with the Chief of the Bureau of Jail 
Management and Penology and the President of League of Provinces, shall promulgate 
the rules and regulations implementing the provisions of this Act. The implementing rules 


and regulations issued pursuant to this section shall take effect thirty (30) days after its 
publication in two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
 
SECTION 6. Sections 61, 62 and 63 of Republic Act No. 6975, as amended, otherwise 
known the “Department of the Interior and Local Government Act of 1990,” and Section 
17(b)(3)(vi) of Republic Act No. 7160, as amended, otherwise known as “The Local 
Government Code of 1991,” are hereby amended and modified accordingly. 
 
SECTION 7. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official 
Gazette or a newspaper of general circulation. 
 
Approved,