Mayor Sara Duterte has signed an executive order establishing a mechanism to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in jails and rehabilitation centers in the city.
This includes the mandatory testing for coronavirus of all Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDL) and the Children in Conflict with Law (CICL) before their admissions or release from jail or the rehab centers.
In Executive Order No. 37 series of 2020 released on June 19, 2020, the mayor prohibited the admission of COVID-19 positive PDL or CICL to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), the city government-run rehabilitation centers – the Davao City Treatment and Rehabilitation (DCTRCDD), Bahay Pag-Asa, Regional Rehabilitation Center for Youth (RRCY), Balay Sidlakan, and the Group Home for Girls.
Before the admission of the PDLs or CICLs, a certification from the Department of Health or City Health Office that they are COVID-free must be required.
If suspected to have the coronavirus, they will be required to undergo a 14-day quarantine while those tested positive will be admitted to the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC). Upon their release, PDLs or CICLs positive of COVID-19 must be brought to SPMC.
Davao City PDLs or CICLs, who are probable cases of COVID-19, will be quarantined in their respective barangay isolation centers while a non-Davao City resident PDL or CICL will be admitted to the quarantine facility of the Davao City Government.
While a PDL is waiting for his/her COVID-19 test result, the PDL will be put in the DCPO or PDEA quarantine facility for newly-arrested PDL, while the CICL will be put in the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) or Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) quarantine facility.
The EO also defined guidelines before the commitment of a PDL or a CICL to a detention facility.
Upon arrest, the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) or Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) shall immediately conduct the COVID-19 test of the PDL or CICL to any testing facility duly accredited by the DOH.
