MikeLigalig.com

North Cotabato mulls 2 more district jails to decongest lone jail compound

KIDAPAWAN CITY, Jan. 12 (PNA) -- Provincial officials in North Cotabato are pushing for the establishment of two more district jails in the province to decongest the lone jail facility in this city and prevent future rescue attempts, officials said Thursday.

This is among the recommendations of the Special Action Committee (SAC) formed after the January 5 attack on the North Cotabato District Jail (NCDJ) that resulted in the escape of 158 inmates.

North Cotabato Acting Gov. Shirlyn Macasarte-Villanueva, who chairs the SAC, told a news conference that the establishment of two more district jails, one in Kabacan and another in Midsayap, will decongest the current jail compound.

NCDJ, located at the back of North Cotabato Provincial Capitol grounds in Barangay Amas, Kidapawan City, was designed to accommodate 450 inmates but at the time of the attack, it has a population of 1,511 detainees. Only 20 jail guards are securing the compound.

Villanueva said while the jail is under the supervision and management of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), the provincial government has been extending assistance through manpower and logistics.

The putting up of other jail facilities would avoid risks of transporting crime offenders from the current jail facility to different courts in the province.

The lady governor is anticipating the possibility of crime suspects getting rescued along the way from Kidapawan City to Kabacan and Midsayap, North Cotabato where courts are located.

Besides, she said, the prison camps can be improved in terms of cleanliness and become a conducive venue for rehabilitation and reformation.

SAC also recommended to Interior and Local Governments Sec. Ismael Sueno to transfer high risk inmates, especially those involved in bombings, kidnappings and other sensational crimes, to spare the province of violence from rescue attempts.

Villanueva said that request for transfer of "dangerous" inmates have been unacted upon by previous DILG officials.

Meanwhile, Kidapawan City Mayor Joseph Evangelista said his office has requested DILG for funds for the construction of another jail facility in Barangay Kalaisan, Kidapawan City.

Currently, the Kidapawan City jail is located at the back of the city hall, within the city's commercial districts and near public schools.

In 2012, the Kidapawan City jail was also subjected to attack by armed men in an attempt to rescue inmates. That attack led to the death of three persons, including a fire officer who was among those who responded to the harassment.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=84947.0