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I.     REFERENCES

1.     Republic  Act  6975  as  amended  by  RA.  No.  8551  otherwise  known  as “Department of the Interior and Local Government Act of 1990”;

2.     Republic  Act  No.  10121  otherwise  known  as  “Philippine   Disaster  Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010”;

3.     BJMP Manual Revised 2007 as Amended; and

4.     Policy on Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) in BJMP,  Providing  a National  Framework,  and  Creating  for this  Purpose DRRM Committees in the NHQ, Regional and Jail Levels.

II.     RATIONALE/BACKGROUND

Natural and man-made disasters are becoming more frequent nowadays and the unpredictability of these occurrences may cause damages to the facilities and may  sometimes  cost  the life of jail officers  and/or  persons  deprived  of liberty (PDL) if not properly managed beforehand.  During these situations, the Bureau will activate its alert system to maximize the number of personnel in the field. As a   practice,   the   order   to   raise   alert   status   emanates   from   the   National Headquarters, thus, Regional Offices would usually rely upon it.

Some of these situations are perceivable at the regional or jail levels prior to its occurrence, thus, regions or jail units may heighten their alert status without relying on the order from higher office/s. Timeliness is very crucial during these situations since the number of personnel in the field is vulnerable, thus, inmates and lawless elements may take advantage of any situation and any hostile plans could be carried out easily.

Proper notification of the situation for the purpose of monitoring and prompt action of the top management  at any level is also vital and important in dealing with crisis.

Thus,  this  policy  is set  forth  to  enhance  precautionary  measures, preparedness  of personnel, prevention of loss of lives and properties, reduction of  jail  crises,  establishment  and  maintenance  of  the  smooth  flow  of communication   during  critical  situations   and  to  strengthen   the  role  of  the Regional Directors and Jail Wardens in raising alert status.

III.   OBJECTIVES

1. To  provide  comprehensive   guidelines  in  raising  alert  status  that  aim  to strengthen the security of jail facilities during normal and crisis situations;

2. To build a disaster resilient jail, institutionalize  arrangements  and measures to reduce incidents, and enhance preparedness and response capabilities in all BJMP-manned jail facilities; and

3. To  apply   effectively   the  standard   management   principles   of  planning, organizing,  delegating,  coordinating,  staffing and evaluating of critical situations.

IV.  SCOPE

This policy covers personnel in the National Headquarters,  Regional Offices and all BJMP-manned jails.

V.   DEFINITION OF TERMS

Alert Status - refers to the level of readiness of the agency, offices or field units in the prevention and/or dealing with actual or imminent dangers brought by man- made or natural disasters. Alert status is classified into three levels, as follows:

•  White  Alert  Status  -  refers  to  first  alert  level  for  normal  operations/ situations.

•  Blue Alert Status - refers to a higher level of alert status which requires 50% attendance  of personnel.  It is the second stage of alert level during which  emergency   preparations   are  carried  out  according   to  plan  as reflected in the Incident Management System (IMS).

•  Red  Alert  Status  - refers  to the highest  level  of alert  which  requires  a
100% attendance of personnel. It is the final stage of alert in which an impending  disaster  or  enemy  attack  appears  imminent.  Personnel  are required  to  stay  in  an  office/jail  for  24-hour  monitoring  to  immediately respond to critical incident/s, or in anticipation of a possible emergency situation.  It includes,  but is not limited  to, planning,  coordinating dissemination of information and activation of OPLANs.

Coordination    -   refers   to   exchange   of   information   to   inform,   integrate, synchronize and de-conflict operations. It also includes, but is not limited to, coordination with inter-unit and allied agencies.

Crisis - is any event that is ongoing or is expected to take place that may lead towards an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, community, or whole society, or is a turning point in the progress of an affair or a series of events.

Disaster  -  a  situation  and  process  involving  a  hazardous  event  which  has negative consequences particularly damage to properties, livelihood disruption and/or casualties.

Emergency - an actual threat to an individual's life or to public health and safety, or sudden occurrence of unfortunate events needing immediate response.

Field Level 1 Incidents - it includes but is not limited to, assault on another individual,  contraband  seizures,  personnel  arrest,  personnel  misconduct,  and suicide or verbal threat.

Field  Level  2 Incidents  - incidents  of exceptional  significance  that  will  likely draw media attention such as, but not limited to; escape, riot, noise barrage, disasters and other major jail incidents or death of inmates by reasons thereto.

Jailbreak  - the escape  from jail by two (2) or more PDL by the use of force, threat, violence or deceit or by breaching security barriers by varied means such as scaling the perimeter fence, tunneling and burning or destroying the facility or a portion  of the  facility  with  or without  the  aid  of a jail  officer/s  or any  other person.

Jail Escape  - it is an act of leaving  from jail of a PDL through  unofficial  and illegal ways without any legal orders from the authorities.

Jail Incident - any untoward or uncommon actions, events, or conditions such as jail break, riot, noise barrage, stabbing  or assault inside the jail perpetrated  by any person, which may or may not have been dependent  on another action of grave  or  serious  consequences   such  as  escape,  injury,  death,  fire,  flood, earthquake or other calamities which affect the jails.

Lockdown  - an  emergency  protocol  ordered  by  jail  authorities  to  protect  the PDL,  visitors  and  personnel  inside  the  facility  before,  during  and  after  jail incident.

Overpowered  Jail Facility  - is a situation  where PDL, whether  in whole or in part, control the facility.

VI.  GENERAL GUIDELINES

1. The authority to issue order concerning alert status shall be vested upon the Directorate  for Operations  (DO) with the approval of the Chief, BJMP or by the Operations Division of Regional Office with the approval of Regional Director.  At jail level,  the  Jail  Warden  has  the  full  authority  to issue  said order.
   
   
2. Duration of alert status shall be dependent upon the situation in the field. The Directorate for Operations or Operations Division or the Jail Warden, as the case may be, shall exercise wide latitude of discretion as the circumstances may warrant in lifting or extending the duration of alert status.
   
   
3. Order of alert status must specify the alert level, its duration  (in case with fixed period),  area of coverage,  relevant  information  and the actions  to be taken by the concerned office/jail or personnel.
   
   
4. Red alert status shall be automatically  observed  in a particular  jail/s in the instances  of field level 2 incidents  and/or as directed by higher authorities, and in field level 1 incidents if circumstances may warrant.
   
   
5. Alert status for an incoming calamity shall be declared at the earliest possible time to give the heads  of offices  or personnel  ample  time to prepare  and carry-out plans of action and enhance readiness for extreme situations.
   
   
6. Upon recommendation  and approval of the Chief, BJMP, the Directorate for Intelligence  may also issue order of alert status  to a particular  region/s  in cases of threat or attacks by lawless elements and/or terrorist group/s.
   
   
7. The Regional  Office shall notify the Directorate  for Operations  of the alert status   raised   within   their   level,   the   reasons   thereto   and   the   threat assessment,  if  any.  The  same  procedure  shall  be  observed  by  the  Jail Wardens at their level.
   
   
8. Regional  offices  and  jail  units  shall  ensure  that  the  fastest  means  of communication   are  always  available  such  as,  but  not  limited  to  radio, telephone,  facsimile,  electronic  mail  (e-mail)  and  short  messaging  system (SMS) using cellular phones or the issued satellite phone if any, so that vital information can reach the higher office the soonest possible time.
   
   
9. An alert status indicator (circle chart) containing  red, blue and white colors with arrow  indicating  the alert level shall be displayed  in any conspicuous area in the National Headquarters and respective Regional Offices and jails.

VII. RAISING OF ALERT STATUS

A l ert Status	Scop e of Al ert St at u s
	Nat i onal Level	Reg ional Level	Jail Level
W h i te A lert	Normal Situation	Normal Situation	Normal Situation
B l ue A l ert	• Pronouncement/ l aunchi ng of count ri es wit hin t he Asia Pacific on Chem i cal/ Bi ol ogi cal/ Radi ol ogi cal/ Nucl ear Expl osi ve Test whi ch will li kely pass t he PAR; • Forecast of i ncomi ng di sast ers; and, • Ot her events when sit uati on may warr ant	• Marti al l aw in adj acent i sl ands or regi ons; • Host age t aki ng in ad j acent j ail/ s; • Escape of hi gh ri sk/ hi gh profile inmate; and, • Ot her events when t he sit uati on may warr ant.	• Ri ot/ Noi se Barrage/ Host age t aki ng and j ail d i st urbances in ot her j ails wit hin t he region; and, • Other events when sit uati on may warrant
Re d A l ert	Natura l D i sasters   • Eart hquake with massi ve i mpact; • Typhoon or weat her di st urbances and Fl oodi ng   Man-mad e D isasters • Nati onal Emergenc i es/ Marti al La w (na ti onwi de); • Seri es of bombi ngs in diff erent parts of t he Ph ili ppi nes; • Threat on t error att acks; and, • Cyber-att acks on communi cati on syst em;   Othe r C i rc u msta n ce s   e . g. Yul eti de season, Holy Week & other events when sit uation may warrant.	• Mass j ail break within t he region; • Overpowered j ail f acilit y; • Armed confli ct wit hin t he regi on or adj acent regi on/ s; • I nt ense eart hquake and fl oodi ng aff ecti ng t he regi on/ s;   • Tsunami W arni ng; • Si ege or Att ack by l awl ess el ements or t error att acks; • Epi demic out break w it hin t he regi on and/ or in t he adj acent regi ons; • Typhoon or weat her d i st urbance di rectly aff ecti ng t he regi on; • Fi re i nvol vi ng 3 or more f aciliti es; • Drought aff ecti ng t he regi on/ i nsuffi ci ency of f ood suppli es f or PDL; • Ot her events when sit uati on may warrant	In respecti ve j ail s:   • Jail Escape; • Host age Taki ng; • Rescue; • Fi re; • Fl ash fl ood; • Ri ot; • Noi se barrage; • Att empt ed rescue;   • Transf er of f acility (OPLAN LIPAT BAHAY) ; • Hunger st ri ke; • Epi demic out break; and, • Ot her event when sit uati on may warr ant

VIII.     LIFTING/LOWERING  OF ALERT STATUS

An  alert  status  with  fixed  period  shall  be  lifted  automatically   upon  its prescription without a need for subsequent order unless extended by the issuing office for some valid reason/s.  An alert status of indefinite  period shall only be lifted after reaching the state of normalcy or if there is lessening of security/safety risks, and shall only be lifted by an official order from the issuing office.

The level of alert status may also be lowered from red alert to blue alert dependent upon the situation in the field subject to the recommendation of the Directorate   for   Intelligence/Directorate    for   Operations   or   by   the   Regional Directors  if the order of alert status  emanates  from the NHQ. The lowering  of alert status within the scope of the regions, shall be upon the recommendation of the Regional  Intelligence  Division/Operations  Division  of Regional  Office  or by the jail units, while Jail Wardens have the full authority to lower the alert status within their respective level.

IX.  SPECIFIC GUIDELINES/TASKING

Directorate for Operations

1. Disseminate the order raising the alert status nationwide;
   
   
2. Direct  all  STAR  Team  members  to  immediately   report  at  the  National Headquarters  and respective Regional Offices for immediate deployment to the threatened areas as needed;
   
   
3. Monitor  preparedness  activities  undertaken  by  jail  units  such  as  but  no limited to, updating/upgrading and regular 'conduct of dry run of OPLANs, installation of security equipment, repair of facilities’ weak points and their compliance to incident/disaster requirements in disaster-stricken areas;
   
   
4. Monitor weather advisory from PAG-ASA and/or PHIVOLCS in case of other calamities;
   
   
5. Gather  reports  from  respective  jails  including  initiatives  on  preparedness actions  such  as  pre-emptive  evacuation,  prepositioning  of  resources  and others;
   
   
6. Provide  the  Command  Group  with  the  situational  report,  spot  or  incident report for information and reference;
   
   
7. Prepare situational report, spot or incident report to be submitted to DILG if necessary;
   
   
8. Monitor all DRRMC strategies employed in jails;
   
   
9. Coordinate  with  other  national  agencies  to advocate  the  objectives  set in BJMP  Memorandum  Circular  No. DPD-MC-23  re: Disaster  Risk Reduction and Management;
   
   
10. Coordinate actively with the DILG which represents the convention/meetings;
    
    
11. Prepare other plan of actions; and
    
    
12.  Perform other task/s as directed by the Chief, BJMP.

Directorate for Intelligence/Regional  Intelligence Division

1. Coordinate  or establish  linkages  with government  agencies  and other  line agencies/organization;
   
   
2. Conduct  regular  assessment/evaluation,  review  and monitoring  of different threat groups to include their activities;
   
   
3. Expand  networks  on  intelligence  gathering  particularly  in  areas  of  new technology, routing, and concealment methods employed by enemies;
   
   
4. Conduct  risk and threat assessment  at the national and regional level, the result   of   which   shall   be   used   to   drive   the   entire   security   planning preparations of all jail units/offices at all levels and recommend to the DO the need for heightened alert level;
   
   
5. Perform other task/s as directed by the Chief, BJMP.

Directorate  for  Investigation  and  Prosecution/Regional   Investigation  and Prosecution Division

a. Conduct  investigation  and  file  appropriate  charge/s  against  erring  BJMP personnel; and

b. Perform other tasks as directed by the Chief, BJMP.

Legal Service Office

a. Determine the legal issues and its intricacies in the declaration of alert status and its consequent extension as warranted by the circumstance;

b.     Assist  the jail units  or the Regional  Offices  in addressing  impediments  in consonance with the alert level raised and actions related thereof;

c.     Perform other task/s as directed by the Chief, BJMP.

Directorate for Logistics/Regional  Logistics Division

a.     Provide logistical support to tasked offices/units;

b.     Mobilize  resources  for  response  and  information  management,  including communications, during disasters and other incidents; and

c. Perform other task/s as directed by the Chief, BJMP.

Community Relation Service Office

a. Coordinate with the Directorate for Operations or with the Command Group prior to the release of information to media, and/or during press conferences;

b. Prepare  relevant  materials  or  information  for  meetings,  briefings  or  press conferences; and

c. Perform other task/s as directed by the Chief, BJMP.

Operations Divisions

1. Disseminate the order of alert status to all jail units;
   
   
2. Monitor actions taken by the jail units;
   
   
3. Coordinate with allied agencies (PNP, AFP and etc.);
   
   
4. Actively   participate   in   Regional   Disaster   Risk   Reduction   Management Council meetings;
   
   
5. Submit  situational  reports  to the  Directorate  for Operations  every  four  (4) hours or as necessary until the conclusion of the incident or alert declaration;
   
   
6. Send  SMS  advisory  to  jail  units  on  threats,  weather  updates  and  other operational matters;
   
   
7. Prepare   documentation   of   all   jail   incidents   or   disasters   and   submit consolidated reports;
   
   
8. Submit consolidated reports after the incident or calamities to the Directorate for Operations; and
   
   
9. Perform other task/s as directed by the higher office.

Jail Units

1. Disseminate  the declaration  of blue alert or red alert status of the National Headquarters or Regional Office to all personnel;
   
   
2. Conduct jail information and education;
   
   
3. Conduct  dry  run  of  OPLANs  and/or  activate  the  same,  if  circumstances, warrant;
   
   
4. Automatic cancellation/disapproval  of leave of absence;
   
   
5. Coordinate with friendly forces;
   
   
6. Ensure attendance of personnel in accordance with the alert status declared; g.     Conduct  security  and  facility  assessment  to  be  led  by  the  Jail  DRRM Committee  including coordination  with the local DRRMC by the designated
   
   
7. Jail DRRM Officer and monitoring of advisory from PAG-ASA or PHIVOLCS;
   
   
8. Ensure availability of service vehicles and prepare emergency equipment;
   
   
9. i.     Ascertain the availability of communication system;
   
   
10. Submit  situational   report  every  four  (4)  hours  or  as  necessary   to  the Operations Division or spot/incident reports within the prescribed period as provided in this policy;
    
    
11. Intensify intelligence, counter intelligence and jail operations to preempt/prevent lawless activities;
    
    
12. Alert  Special  Tactics  and  Response  Team  or  adjacent  jail  personnel  to respond in case of emergency; and
    
    
13. Perform other pre-cautionary measures as applicable.

X.   REPORTING SYSTEM

Field  level  2  incident  reports  should  be  reported  immediately  by  the  Jail Warden to the Operations Division of the Regional Office through phone followed by fax within  one (1) hour from occurrence  while field level 1 incident  reports such as assault on another individual, verbal threat or suicide and the like shall be faxed within three (3) hours or sent through e-mail.

Likewise,   level  2  incident   reports   from  jail  units  shall  be  immediately dispatched by the Operations Divisions of regional offices to the Directorate for Operations upon receipt of said jail report. If incident is urgent in nature, it may also be reported by phone followed by official reports, thru fax/e-mail within one

(1)  hour from receipt   of  the   report   from   jail.   These   reports,   other   than investigation reports, must contain the 5Ws and 1H, in a memorandum type and the action/s taken must be indicated therein.

XI.  JAIL INCIDENT MONITORING AND EVALUATION

1.     National  Jail  Incident  Monitoring  and  Evaluation  Committee  (NJIMEC)  is hereby created to be composed of the following:

Chairperson              : Deputy Chief for Operations.
Vice-Chairperson     : Directorate for Operations
Member                 : Directorate for Personnel and Records Management
Member                   : Directorate for Inmates Welfare and Development
Member                     : Directorate for Logistics
Member                     : Directorate for Intelligence
Member                     : Directorate for Comptrollership

The NJIMEC shall monitor and assess major incidents  or crisis in the field and   gather   necessary   information   as   basis   for   action/s   of   the   top management especially in the utilization of resources and for the information of the SILG.

2.     Regional  Jail  Incident  Monitoring  and  Evaluation  Committee  (RJIMEC)  is also created to be composed of the following:

Chairperson              : Assistant Regional Director for Operations
Vice-Chairperson     : Chief, Operations Division
Member                    : Chief, Personnel and Records Management
Member                   : Chief, Inmates Welfare and Development Division
Member                     : Chief, Logistics Division
Member                     : Chief, Comptrollership  Division
Member                     : Chief, Regional Intelligence Division

The  RJIMEC  is  tasked  to  monitor  and  evaluate  the  situation  in  the  field during and after incidents to validate and gather relevant information needed in the report for the National Headquarters,  and to determine the efficiency and effectiveness of jail facilities in responding to critical situations.

XII. PENALTY CLAUSE

Faithful  compliance  with  the provisions  of this policy  is hereby  mandated. Any   violations   hereof   shall   be   dealt   with   in   accordance   with   the   2017
Comprehensive   BJMP  Administrative   Disciplinary   Machinery  and  any  major incident which occurs during the height of Alert Status shall be considered as aggravating circumstance in the administrative aspect of the case.

XIII. SEPARABILITY CLAUSE

If any parts hereof are declared invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining part of the provisions not otherwise affected shall remain valid and subsisting.

XIV.   REPEALING CLAUSE

All circulars or issuances which are inconsistent  with this policy are hereby
rescinded or modified accordingly.

XV. EFFECTIVITY

This Circular shall take effect after fifteen (15) days from filing a copy thereof at the University  of the Philippines  Law Center in consonance  with Sections  3 and 4, Chapter 2, Book VII of Executive Order No. 292, otherwise known as “The Revised Administrative Code of 1987.”