kanin, parang putik sa kanal ang sabaw ng isda (The rice is spoiled, and the fish soup looks like mud from the canal).” Some participants rely on family who bring them food supplies when they visit. However, packed food are heavily inspected. Detention staff open packets before goods reach inmates, resulting in spoilage. Other participants who have meager access to money, either from family or from occasional livelihood programs and doing other inmates’ chores, are able to purchase chips if their facility has a commissary. During the consultation with NCR wardens in 2018, it was shared that the budget for food in facilities was at PhP60 per detainee. Accounts from the FGDs however show that the use of this budget varies in different detention facilities. Some expressed satisfaction with their food rations, while others, as shown above, complained of the limited food variety, nutritional content of the food, or serving of spoiled food. Water and Sanitation Regular water is crucial to personal hygiene and care and this is expressed in the Bangkok Rules. The Rules underline the need to ensure regular water supply for women and children’s personal care, particularly for women who cook, and who are pregnant, breastfeeding or menstruating. This is reiterated in the Mandela Rules which provide that drinking water shall be available to every prisoner whenever he or she needs it. Results of the FGDs however reveal that potable water and regular supply of water is a challenge for women deprived of liberty in many detention facilities. Except in facilities where water supply is continuous and potable, like in CIW and other facilities in Manila, most inmates need to purchase their own drinking water, fetch and carry their own water, or rely on family to bring them supplies. This is especially the case in facilities where water supply is intermittent or where tap water is unclean or contaminated. “Ang hirap ng tubig namin dito, walang supply. Galing sa poso ang tubig, marumi pa (Water is difficult to come by here, there is no supply. Pumps produce the water, which is also dirty),” a participant from the Sorsogon BJMP District Jail said. Water supply is intermittent or scheduled in most 17

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