Interior and Local Governments Usec. Jesus Hinlo, Jr. (right) talks with Supreme Court Adiministrator Jose Midas P. Marquez (center) during the Capitol forum on jail decongestion.
(CDN Photo/Junjie Mendoza)
During a forum on jail congestion held yesterday at the Capitol, DILG undersecretary Jesus Hinlo Jr. said the national average congestion in the country is at 488 percent this month, up from 451 percent last year.
This means 49 inmates occupy a cell built to house only 10 inmates.
Hinlo said this number would go up due to the government’s intensified campaign against illegal drugs.
“So the government should be prepared to expand the jail facilities since those who were arrested are not yet convicted. And even if they are we are duty-bound by the
Constitution to treat them humanely and respect their rights,” Hinlo said.
Provincial Administrator Mark Tolentino said the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) can house 1,428 inmates but has an inmate population of 2,996 inmates as of September 12 this year.
The CPDRC consists of 119 cells that could hold 12 occupants each but it houses an average of 25 inmates per cell.
Tolentino said the CPDRC stopped accepting new inmates, which alleviates the congestion.
Tolentino said the province set aside P6 million last month to build additional cells and improve the infirmary at the CPDRC./Correspondent Izobelle T. Pulgo