CPDRC suspends visitation privileges of inmates
The management of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) will suspend the visitation privileges of the inmates, including conjugal visits, effective February 7.
This after the greyhound operation conducted by personnel of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA-7) and the Provincial Public Safety Company (PPSC) at the provincial jail last Friday yielded contraband items and illegal drugs.
"Governor (Davide) has approved my request for the cancellation of “dalaw.” We will start this Wednesday, February 7, 2018 to give time of notice," said Roberto 'Bobby' Legaspi, acting jail warden of CPDRC.
He said the suspension of "dalaw" is a message to inmates that the management is serious in the fight against the entry of illegal drugs inside the jail facility.
“As you saw during the greyhound last Friday, there are a lot of contrabands, there’s always little TV screen and stuff there (whenever there’s a greyhound). We have to find out how that’s coming in,” he said.
The management of CPDRC will also be seeking the advice from the Commission on Audit (COA) on what to do with the vault containing P263,000 in cash claimed to be owned by inmates' "pangkat."
Legaspi said they need to have guidelines on what to do with the money owned by the inmates, especially since COA already informed the CPDRC management last year that there should be no money inside the jail as this could be used to bribe jail officers or influence them to smuggle contrabands and illegal drugs inside.
“I remember before COA actually informed us that there should be no money, the province should not let them handle the money (inmates),” he said.
Also following last Friday's greyhound operation, delivery of supplies to the jail's canteen has been suspended.
He said the supply delivery inside the canteen does not go through the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), which is one thing that they would need to look into.
"It's unfair for other vendors out there," said Legaspi.
The management will let the inmates consume all the items still being sold at the canteen.
Legaspi said they would also look into how the canteen can exist without involvement of money as there are items sold there that the inmates need for their daily use such as soaps, shampoos and toothpaste.
“There are necessities of inmates there, but those that are not necessary, we will definitely get rid of that,” Legaspi said.
As to the security inside the jail facility, Legaspi said he will give more access to the personnel of PDEA and PPSC to the CPDRC.
Antojado/JBB