A resolution seeking the Senate’s concurrence on the treaty between the Philippines and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on the transfer of sentenced persons was introduced by Senator Erwin Tulfo.
The Senator brought proposed Senate Resolution No. 315 to the plenary exactly five days after it was heard by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, which he currently chairs.
“Human rights and the dignity of every person remain, whether they are inside or outside the prison bars. Under our Constitution, the government’s duty of care for a Filipino does not end simply because he or she made a mistake in another country,” Sen.Tulfo underscored in his sponsorship speech.
He explained that the pact is not a “get out of jail free” card, only an agreement for the transfer of the venue where the Filipino will serve his sentence.
Tulfo, who is also chair of the Senate foreign relations committee, added: “The core of this Treaty is restorative justice. When a Filipino is imprisoned in a foreign land like the United Kingdom, they face more than just the loss of liberty. Aside from prison, there are also the walls of language and the distance from family. A double hardship.
Once the treaty becomes effective, he said that sentenced Filipinos in UK may be transferred upon securing the consent of both the British and Philippine governments, as well as the consent of the prisoner involved.
The sentence imposed in the UK will continue to be carried out in the Philippines in respect to the judicial sovereignty of UK, with the Department of Justice in charge of the oversight of the safe and orderly transfer of custody.
He added: “We believe that the purpose of imprisonment is reform, not suffering. Let us show our fellow citizens in the United Kingdom that they are not forgotten by their Motherland. Let us work together for the good of our nation.”
