Press Release

The Philippines and the European Union organised a regional practitioner workshop on the deradicalisation of inmates associated with terrorism cases on 19-20 November 2024.
This two-day operational activity brought together frontline practitioners from the EU and the Indo-Pacific who work directly with extremists in detention settings. The experts included specialised prison officers, deradicalisation counsellors, and counterterrorism police officers from Germany, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.
The aim of the event was to strengthen approaches to the management and transitional rehabilitation of incarcerated extremists by sharing lessons learned and discussing emerging best practice in this experimental and evolving aspect of the counterterrorism policy spectrum.

The workshop included a site visit to jails managed by the Philippines Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, allowing visiting practitioners to witness first-hand the Philippine approach to handling inmates associated with violent extremist networks.

This is the first activity in the Philippines organised under the aegis of the EU project Enhancing Security Cooperation in and with Asia and the Indo-Pacific (ESIWA+). The EU-Philippines workshop took place in cooperation with the Philippines Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) under the supervision of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla.

Ana Isabel Sanchez Ruiz, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to the Philippines, said: “We are fortunate to have convened here a unique group of experts in this specialised field from the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, as well as Germany. I’m sure that by discussing what works for them, and crucially what has not worked so well, each person will come away with both fresh ideas and new professional connections.” 

Hon. Serafin P. Barretto Jr. CESO IV, Undersecretary for Public Safety, Department of the Interior and Local Government, said: “In an increasingly interconnected world where security and stability challenges know no boundaries, our collaboration is not only valuable but essential.”

The workshop’s presentations and structured group work activities will be used to inform the development of draft guidelines for a renewed structural approach to the deradicalisation of inmates in the Philippines jail system, with an emphasis on ensuring continuity with initiatives undertaken by the Philippines Bureau of Corrections.

The workshop intends to strengthen approaches to the deradicalisation and disengagement of extremists in detention settings in Southeast Asia and EU Member States; build connections  between frontline practitioners working with extremist inmates in EU Member States and ESIWA partner nations in Southeast Asia; and contribute to the development of guidelines for a systematic and coordinated strategy for the transitional rehabilitation and deradicalisation of persons deprived of liberty connected to terrorism cases within the Philippines jail system.

About the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology

The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) was created on January 2, 1991 pursuant to Republic Act 6975, replacing its forerunner, the Office of Jail Management and Penology of the defunct Philippine Constabulary/Integrated National Police. It is a line bureau under the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and presently manned by more than 24,000 personnel across the country.

The bureau is mandated to direct, supervise and control the administration and operation of all district, city and municipal jails in the Philippines with pronged tasks of safekeeping and development of persons deprived of liberty (PDL). It is responsible for the management of PDL who are awaiting/undergoing trial, awaiting judgment by the courts and those who are sentenced of crimes punishable with penalties ranging from 1 day to 3 years.

As an institution, the agency operates under its four major programs namely: custody, security and control program; welfare and development program; decongestion program; and good governance.

In addition, it offers core developmental/ rehabilitation programs, namely: Livelihood and Skills Enhancement Program, Educational Program, Behavioral Management/Modification Program, Interfaith Program, Paralegal Program, Culture and Sports Program and a special program for the vulnerable groups. These programs are continuously implemented in jails to support the PDL during their stay and foster social reintegration prospects, grounded in international minimum standards and norms.

About the EU’s ESIWA+ project:

ESIWA+ (Enhancing Security Cooperation In and With Asia and the Indo-Pacific) works to enhance the EU’s security and defence cooperation in four thematic areas: counter-terrorism and preventing violent extremism, crisis management/addressing hybrid threats, cyber security, and maritime security.
ESIWA+ is co-funded by the European Union, the German Federal Foreign Office, and the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. ESIWA is co-implemented by the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ), and by Expertise France.

For more information, please contact:

Thelma Gecolea

Public Affairs Officer
EU Delegation to the Philippines
[email protected]\

Rahul Venkit

Communications & Visibility Expert

Enhancing Security Cooperation In and With Asia & the Indo-Pacific (ESIWA+) project

[email protected]