‘Oplan Greyhound’ intensified in Baguio jail
THE BUREAU of Jail and Penology (BJMP) here vowed to intensify Operation Greyhound inside the facility and check on the persons deprived of liberty (PDL). Stricter searches will also be done to visitors and allowing visitors only during the visiting hours.
Jail Chief, Insp. Crispin Dornagon,
BJMP -Baguio City male dorm said inspection and seizure of contrabands stemmed from the arrest of a woman trying to smuggle dried marijuana leaves inside the facility on Sunday.
While Dornagon did not identify the arrested woman, he said the woman was visiting her son, who is facing charges for robbery and violence.
“During the inspection, one of the visitors tried to smuggle 0.25 grams of dried marijuana leaves inside of this facility,” he said.
Dornogan relayed that the woman is 40 years old and working as a manicurist in a beauty shop in the city.
“Visitors now will not be allowed to wear jackets and shoes when entering the jail,” Dornagon said, adding that they have devised the guidelines for visitors entering the facility as a preventive measure to avoid the entry of contraband, especially illegal drugs.
The warden advised visitors to come wearing slippers, to avoid inconvenience.
"We are doing our best to avoid this kind of situation, we do not want visitors smuggling drugs inside," he said.
About a month ago, a visitor was also arrested for trying to bring in illegal drugs inside the Baguio city jail.
Dornogan said they are gearing towards making the city jail drug-cleared as a directive of President Rodrigo Duterte through the BJMP and the Department of Interior and Local Government.
The official related that part of the measures they do in aiming to make the Baguio city jail drug cleared is the conduct of random drug testing on PDLs and their personnel.
"As of now, no PDL has been found positive during the conduct of our monthly random drug testing," he assured.
He appealed to the visitors not to attempt to smuggle drugs inside the facility.
“We are serious in our mandate to make the jail drug free. We are just following the directives given to us, most especially this is one of the directives of the President [Rodrigo Duterte]. We are just doing our job,” he said.
Meanwhile, Baguio City Jail Female Dorm (BCJFD) has been declared as a “drug free and drug cleared” jail facility as of September 27. It is located adjacent the male dorm and divided with bars and locks to prevent the male and the female PDLs to be together.