The University of the Philippines Manila received forensic pathology equipment from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) on Aug. 20, 2025,  for the improvement of the conduct of investigations on custodial deaths in the country. 

The donated equipment includes one mortuary refrigerator worth P1.4 million, one body weighing scale worth P223,000, and one body cart worth P580,357.14. The new equipment will improve the storage conditions of bodies subject to autopsy and help safeguard forensic autopsy evidence. In March 2025, the UP-PGH Department of Radiology also received a portable X-ray machine from the UNODC, which has since been utilized for autopsies.

UP Manila Chancellor Michael Tee said the donation will greatly help the pathology department in performing autopsies on deceased Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) inmates. 

Last year, UP Manila, UNODC, and the Department of Justice signed a Declaration of Cooperation to Strengthen Procedures to Investigate Custodial Deaths of Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs). The document acknowledges the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, also known as the “Nelson Mandela Rules.” This covers the general management of prisons, ensuring that they adhere to international standards and protocols, including the protection of prisoners against inhuman treatment or punishment. At the time, the DOJ announced a change in the protocol for handling the deaths of PDLs: instead of sending the bodies to funeral parlors for embalming, they would first be brought to UP Manila for forensic examination.

UP Manila has been receiving autopsy referrals for BuCor custodial deaths since 2022. The process was formalized and enhanced following the signing of the Declaration of Cooperation in 2024.

To date, there have been 139 custodial deaths referred to the Department of Pathology of UP Manila since 2022. Meanwhile, there have been 44 custodial deaths referred to UP Manila since July 2024.#

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Press Release