Activity 1.

Reaction Paper
Directions: Select one (1) discipline which involves in the study of criminology and give your
insights about the past and present setting of the Philippines in relation to the discipline you
have chosen. Write your answer in the space provided with the minimum of 100 words.

Penology

According to Wikipedia, “Penology (from "penal", Latin poena, "punishment" and

the Greek suffix -logia, "study of") is a sub-component of criminology that deals with the philosophy
and practice of various societies in their attempts to repress criminal activities, and satisfy public
opinion via an appropriate treatment regime for persons convicted of criminal offences.” In my own
words, penology is a field of criminology that aims to rehabilitate reform and heal criminal
offenders, which are obviously sick, and especially deteriorated by external factors and forces that
made them think and act irrationally that leads them in committing a crime punishable by the
existing laws. It also one of the most significant aspects in the pillar of correction that evaluate and
justify the social consequences of the crime activity in force by law to be punish in a humane way
through a given time of imprisonment.

A little history, back in the time of colonial period of Spanish government, the death penalty,
was the form of repression introduced to us and widely practiced in the Philippines as the capital
punishment of lawlessness until the end of martial law and the Pres. Marcus Regime ( 1965–1986).
The oldest prisons built in our country were The Old Bilibid Prison, which was located on Oroquieta
Street in Manila was established in 1847 and by a Royal Decree formally opened on April 10, 1866.
On August 21, 1870 the San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm was established in Zamboanga City for
Muslim and political prisoners opposed to the rule of Spain (bucor.gov.ph. Decades have past until
January 2, 1991, Philippines Penology was formally established by virtue of Republic Act No. 6975
also known as the Department of the Interior and Local Government Act of 1990 and amended by
Republic Act No. 9263 (Bureau of Fire Protection and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology
Professionalization Act of 2004) (wikia.org).

We cannot deny the fact that this particular discipline of criminology here in our country has
quite an improvement than other countries here in asia. In addition, the Correction Pillar of our Criminal
Justice System was quite overlook for the past decades compared to the other pillars. One of the clear
evidence of our past governments’ disregard was the tolerance of crimes especially illegal drug trade
inside the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa that surfaced the media in 2014 in Pres. Aquino
administration. This issue was resolved and ended after Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s administration started in
2016 with his promising campaign and quote’ “Change is Coiming”. Meanwhile, other issues such as
corrupt government officials, old and congested prison facilities and injustice killing still remains
widespread in our country. If I were to ask, clearly, I would say that the Penology of Philippines is better
today than last 2 or 3 decades ago or compared in times colonial period. But issues with such reports
that about 5,200 inmates at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) die annually due to overcrowding, disease and
violence, according to hospital medical chief Ernesto Tamayo, CNN affiliate CNN Philippines, is quite
alarming. In addition, the terrible conditions, with the inmates crammed together into crumbling,
ramshackle cells—barely space for them to sleep - one room held 131 inmates in a 200-square foot
space that was designed for 30 (Prison Insider 2020), is also not justifiable. Controversies like these, will
continually challenge the Bureau of Corrections, Department of Justice and Duterte’s administration to
implement forcefully the RA 10575 known as “ The Bureau of Corrections act of 2013”. Improve
responses, disaster and recovery plans and, appropriately prioritize surrounding the field of Penology
through implementation of new laws that will complement the RA 10575 and funding the projects
dynamically. The latest introduced bill “The Correctional Facility Disaster Preparedness Act” have
promising provisions targeting the facilities’ renovation and recreation as well as prisoners’ health and
safety. Moreover, it also requires a dynamic participation of the department of Justice. If this bill is
approved and implemented seriously,
it would a milestone and success for our country.
Martin Luther King once said, “True peace is not merely the absence of tension it is the presence
justice”, “The time is always right to do what is right”; therefore since justice is right, so the time is
always right to value the rights of every individual—to be served with justice.