P101.3M for City Jail

To ease congestion, around P101.3 million was allocated by the National Government for the construction of a four-story building to expand the detention facility of the Cebu City Jail.

In a letter addressed to Councilor Dave Tumulak, Senior Supt. Dennis Rocamora of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) 7 said their regional office received around P329.3 million for the construction of more jail buildings.

The biggest part of it, Rocamora said, goes to the Cebu City Jail.

Tumulak said the City's jail facility is intended to accommodate 1,000 prisoners, but it has gone beyond its capacity limit.

He said the project will help decongestthat facility that currently houses some 4,100 detainees.

"The City Government is thankful to the National Government that it allocated funds for the city jail because our jail is the third most thickly populated jails all over the Philippines. We fully support the BJMP, especially in the processing of permits," Tumulak said.

The building will be built inside the city jail compound.

BJMP 7 is now bidding out the project and construction will follow right after.

Meanwhile, Tumulak said the City is planning to ask the Philippine National Police to augment the security in the city jail.

The councilor said that BJMP now has 75 jail officers securing the facility. /