Press Release | 26 August 2026

The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) and the Public Interest Law Center (PILC) today electronically filed a demand letter with the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW), calling for an immediate end to reported coercive practices against persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) in connection with the investigation into alleged irregularities involving their Trust Fund accounts.

The lawyers also demanded the immediate restoration of PDLs’ access to their own money, the return of passbooks being retained, meaningful access to counsel during the investigation, disclosure of the rules governing the CIW Trust Fund and cashless system, and the preservation of all relevant records.

The demand was made on behalf of women PDLs who reported being pressured or compelled to sign affidavits, demand letters, audit forms, and other documents in connection with the inquiry into funds allegedly lost, misused, or otherwise subjected to irregularities.

Among the practices reported are the withholding of passbooks unless PDLs sign audit forms; pressure to sign documents assigning responsibility to the CIW Trust Fund Officer; restrictions on withdrawals, deposits, and transfers; and limitations affecting communications with family members and legal counsel.

“A legitimate investigation must follow the evidence, not pressure persons in custody into affirming a predetermined outcome,” said Atty. Katherine A. Panguban, head of the NUPL Women and Children Committee. “Women in custody are in an inherently vulnerable position. Their confinement must never be exploited to extract statements, secure signatures, or compel them to adopt conclusions that investigators have already chosen.”

Panguban stressed that the alleged disappearance or misuse of PDL funds cannot be reduced to the possible wrongdoing of a single corrections officer.

“The Trust Fund and cashless system are institutional arrangements under the supervision and control of CIW and the Bureau of Corrections. Any serious investigation must therefore examine not only individual conduct, but also the systems that were supposed to safeguard these funds—the controls, audits, record-keeping mechanisms, and accountability structures that were in place,” she said.

The groups said PDLs must not be made to bear the consequences of any failure in the administration of the Trust Fund system, particularly through restrictions on access to money belonging to them.

“Whatever the investigation ultimately finds, the women deprived of liberty cannot be made to bear the consequences of failures they did not cause,” Atty. Mark Vincent D. Lim said. “Their passbooks and personal funds cannot be used as leverage for their cooperation. Refusing to sign a document is not a lawful basis to withhold a person’s money, restrict her rights, or subject her to retaliation.”

NUPL and PILC demanded that CIW immediately cease any pressure, coercion, intimidation, or misleading representation used to obtain investigative documents; return retained passbooks; restore access to undisputed Trust Fund balances; allow voluntary participation in the investigation with meaningful access to counsel; explain the basis for restrictions imposed on withdrawals, deposits, and transfers; identify the institutional safeguards and responsible officers governing the system; and ensure that no PDL is subjected to reprisal for refusing to sign documents, seeking legal assistance, or demanding an accounting of her funds.

They also called for the preservation of passbook records, transaction histories, authorization records, reconciliation reports, audit documents, remittance records, and related communications.

“The investigation must follow the evidence—not the other way around,” Lim said. “Accountability requires both a fair inquiry into what happened to the women’s money and a full accounting of the institution’s responsibility for protecting it.”

The letter requests a complete written response from CIW, together with the requested documents and explanations, within five business days from receipt.

Copies of the demand letter are available to the media upon request. ###

Reference: 

Atty. Katherine A. Panguban, NUPL
+639566730301

Atty. Mark Vincent D. Lim, PILC 
+639691965675

Photo credit: BUCOR CIW PIO