CPDRC to construct new cell for inmates
The Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center ( CPDRC) is building a large detention cell to address congestion inside the facility.
Marco Toral, Capitol’s consultant on jail management, said new cell, to be known as “brigada,” would be constructed in the second floor, replacing the existing chapel, and would accommodate up to 1,000 inmates.
“Atong ibalhin ang kapilya didto na sa atong quadrangle, so adto na ta magmisa didto,” he told The FREEMAN during a telephone interview.
Overcrowding has been a major problem of the provincial jail, which cur- rently houses more than 2,300 inmates, or at least 800 more than its capacity.
Because of this, the larger units of its 119 detention cells have 30 inmates instead of just 22 only. Some inmates, Toral admitted, have no option but to huddle on the concrete floor to sleep due to space constraints.
“Bugnaw baya kaayo na og magabii nang sawog basin mangasakit, so ato to silang ipangbalhin,” Toral said.
The Provincial Engineering Office will assess the area where the new detention cell would be to determine the needed materials and construction cost. Funding will be sourced from the P87 million the Capitol had set aside for CPDRC year.
Toral said double-deck beds will also be provided to the inmates once construction is completed and that no dividers would be allowed so it would be easier for jail personnel to monitor the inmates
He said the need for a new detention cell is immediate to prevent the spread of contagious diseases.
In June last year, a measles outbreak was reported inside the facility, with at least 50 inmates contracting the disease in just over two weeks.