BuCor, BJMP, PCW Sign JMC Adopting Bangkok Rules
The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), and the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) formally signed a Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) on Guidelines on Gender-Responsive Detention Facilities and Services on 01 December 2025, committing the Philippines to strengthening the dignity, rehabilitation, and meaningful support for Women Deprived of Liberty (WDL).
Signed at Park Inn by Radisson North EDSA by PCW Chairperson HON. ERMELITA V. VALDEAVILLA, BJMP Chief, JDIR RUEL S RIVERA, and BuCor Director General, GENERAL GREGORIO PIO P CATAPANG JR., AFP (RET.), CESE, CCLH, the JMC applies to all city, district, municipal, provincial, and correctional institutions under the BJMP and BuCor, and explicitly adopts the principles of the 2010 United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-Custodial Measures for Women Offenders, also known as the Bangkok Rules.
Its core purpose is to provide a framework for developing gender-responsive practices in all correctional facilities, ensuring that WDL receive treatment and services equivalent to those available in the community. Key mandates include the free and adequate provision of essential hygiene kits, including sanitary napkins and toiletries, which the JMC stipulates must be classified as essential needs and guaranteed through the agencies’ annual General Appropriations Act (GAA) to ensure sustainable supply. Furthermore, WDL are guaranteed comprehensive health services, including menstrual, maternity, breastfeeding, and menopause care, as well as pre- and post-natal medical examinations for pregnant or new mothers.
The guidelines emphasize that decisions concerning infants staying with their mothers must be based on the best interests of the child and require the provision of legal and psychological support, nutritious meals, and robust reintegration programs to facilitate a successful transition back to society, alongside the exploration of noncustodial alternatives.
PCW Chair VALDEAVILLA encapsulated the agreement’s purpose, stating, “When a woman walks out of detention not broken but empowered… that would be our sign that their lives have become a little bit better.”