Cebu City Jail (FILE PHOTO)
THREE jail guards of the Cebu City Jail had been relieved after they were found to have allowed inmates to use mobile phones inside the jail.
The jail guards, whose names were withheld from the media, are set to be transferred to another facility.
Supt. Jessie Calumpang, the warden of the Cebu City Jail, said changes had to be made every now and then to disrupt any closeness with the inmates.
“Some of the jail guards may have become too familiar with the inmates. Expect some changes to be implemented every now and then,” he said in an interview.
In a Greyhound Operation last August 2016, police confiscated inside the Cebu City Jail bundles of bills and packs of coins amounting to P4.7 million, several kilos of shabu, nubain, mobile phones, bladed weapons, flat screen televisions, and several drug paraphernalia.
The operation resulted to the relief of 30 jail guards and of then jail warden, Supt. Johnson Calub.
Calumpang said he is implementing some programs to stop the entry of contraband inside the city jail.
“There has been a strict monitoring and inspection at the entrance gate. And so far, a number of people are caught trying to bring in some contraband,” he said.
Calumpang said closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras will soon be installed at the entrance gates to help monitor jail visitors.
He said he also plans to put up a phone with loud speakers that can be used by inmates who want to call their families.
“In this manner, we discourage them from trying to have cellphones inside the jail. We can also monitor their conversations,” Calumpang said.
He admitted it is difficult to monitor every visitor and inmate due to the jail’s population.
At present, the Cebu City Jail, which is designed for just 1,600 inmates, has 4,117 inmates. It is overcrowded by 600 per cent.