80-85% of jail inmates facing drug charges

OUT of around 4,600 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) from three major jails in Davao City, around 80 to 85 percent of them are facing drug-related cases, an official from Bureau of Jail Management and Penology -Davao Region (BJMP-Davao) said.

BJMP-Davao community relations section chief Jail Senior Inspector Ellen Rose Saragena said more than three-fourths of the PDLs population in the city are in conflict with the law “with drug-related violations”.

With this, Saragena said this is one of their problems in BJMP - on how to re-integrate PDLs into the community once they are out of jail.

“Unfortunately, isa jud na sa among problema kay masanay sila sa life sa sulod… pag mogawas na sila moana dayon ang mga tao hala gikan ni sila gipriso walay maghire, walay magduol (this is one of our problems because they get used to the life inside... when they come out of the jail, the people outside the jail will perceive them differently because they are from prison, and no opportunities will be given to them),” Saragena said.

“Ilang huna-huna ‘Mas maayo nalang na magduol na lang ko sa akong dating binuhatan’ (Ex-PDLs will think sticking to their old ways might be better than to being discriminated),” she added.

Some PDLs even resorted to having transactions outside of jail in an attempt to put drugs inside “in any means possible, even if risky” such as putting contrabands inside a tresbe or a leaf tobacco, then throwing them inside.

As of April to May 2023, BJMP-Davao had caught and recorded eight incidents.

“Under sa leadership of our warden na si Jail Superintendent Peter Bongat Jr. very strict jud kaayo… wala na gyud nakasulod na mga contrabands but they’re [PDLs inside Davao City jails] trying na makapasulod in any means possible so bahalag risky,” Saragena said.

Meanwhile, the BJMP-Davao official said they are looking towards crafting a program to help PDLs transition to the outside of jail life.

BJMP-Davao partnered with psychologists from the academe to help PDLs “mindset themselves” of what to expect outside of jail. (Read full story on sunstar.com.ph/davao)