Baseline Study on the Philippine Penal Conditions: Nurturing a Human Rights Based Approach to Penal Management • ······································································································································································································································· The lack of personnel also induces the formation and recognition of inmate cell and brigade leaders. These inmate leaders (also called nanunungkulan) have come to take active custodial, rehabilitation, and administrative roles. Specifically present in bigger jails and prisons, these inmate leaders are allowed to generate resources, implement their own conflict resolution and rehabilitation programs, and maintain the cleanliness of their facility surroundings. As such, most Detention Centers managed by the PNP and the NBl, and a ll the BJMP and Provincial Jails, have different forms of inmate leaders, t hough the specific names like Mayores, Chairman, and Bosyo, may vary from each faci lity. The names of these inmate leaders are prominently displayed in the wall of every cell and the inmate leaders are given utmost respect by their fellow inmates. 19 - The insufficiency of resources also induces the reliance on inmate and v isitor resources. Inmates bring food, cash, appliances, and other persona l belongings to overcome the cha llenges of penal conditions. In most cases, inmates are allowed to bring their own electric fans, cooking w ares, TV sets, and refrigerators. As such, in most detention Persons deprived of liberty is a vulnerable group centers, jails and prisons, inmates w ith the capacity due primarily to its total reliance to prison to contribute fi nancially for cell or brigade upkeep authorities for basic needs. The provision of are classified as VIP (Very Important Preso) .20 Those clean water at all times and good quality food w ho are without resources are called a buyonero are essential to their healthy existence. It is a a nd will be expected to contribute manual labor. universal vital need and the lack thereof is the VIP inmates are usually paired with buyonero root cause ofmany conflicts inside detention inmates in a food group called rancho or kasa/o facilities. The quality, quantity, delivery, where they combine resources and manpowe r. ln ma ny cases, big-time VIP inmates are also called schedule and even temperature offood tend upon to contribute in facility ma intenance, like to be polarizing factors in daily prison life. contributing for painting of cells, paying of e lectric Prison authorities, including those 'in the bills, bringing sick inmates to hospitals, and other police stations, have an obligation to meet operationa l tasks. 21 the needs ofthe detainees. Failure to comply .................................................... . Finally, in BJMP Jails, Provincia l Jails, and BuCor Prisons, inmates have formed pangkat or brot herhoods. These inmate o rganizations a re also called " gangs" .22 In the New Bilibid Prison Maximum Security Compound, 95 percent of the inmate population a re m embers in any of the 12 different gangs. Most inmates in the BJMP Ja il s in the National Capital Region are also me mbers of the four Metro Manila based gangs (Sigue Sigue Co mmando, Sigue Sigue Sputnik, Batang City Jail, and Bahala na Gang). The inmate pangkat have their respective inmate leaders called Commander o r Bosyos, and t hey a lso perform custodial, rehabilitation, and administrative functions. The pangkat also generate funds thro ugh d iffe rent fundraising activities, like contributions from VIPs, 19 '° 21 22 16 with this obligation may constitute a form of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, or even torture. Deprivation offood [and basic needs] ass a form ofpunishment for detainees is strictly proscribed by existing International Human Rights and Humanitarian Laws. It is thus essential and indispensable that Persons Deprived ofLiberty are provided with adequate and good quality offood, which is highly personal and culture-specific. - Commission on Human Rights, "Human Rights Advisory on The Right to Adequate Food ofPNP Detainees (The right to adequate food: an inclusive right), December 2015 See for exa mple Narag (2005) report on t he conditions of the Quezon City Jail. The Very Important Presa (VIP) is common ly misconstrued by the media as Very Important Persons. Reporting the coping mechan ism as Very Important Persons suggest t hat the facility provides prefe rential treatment to t hese inmates. These development al functions by inmate leaders Is a unique characteristic of Filipi no prison experience. In t he Philippines, inmate pangkats have developmental fu nctions and are not considered security threat groups, unlike In western developed count ries where gangs are conside red threat to facilities a nd are officially suppressed.