Recaptured city jail inmate complains of ‘bad food’

Poor food preparation was one of the reasons why a prisoner escaped from the Cebu City Jail.

Marvin Gimpeso claimed that the food inside the facility was not properly cooked and was therefore unfit to be eaten.

Gimpeso was recaptured yesterday morning after he was spotted in Barangay Suba.

City Councilor Dave Tumulak, chairman of the committee on public order and safety, said an informant told him of the whereabouts of the inmate.

Tumulak, together with the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) personnel, went to the area and recaptured Gimpeso.

Gimpeso was presented to the media on Tuesday morning, and he claimed he was maltreated inside the jail together with other prisoners.

Tumulak said he talked with the BJMP personnel yesterday, but they denied the allegations of the prisoner.

“They denied it, but it is better that we will have an independent group that will tell us the truth,” he said.

He said he requested the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to conduct an investigation.

He also urged the jail personnel and the inmates to follow jail policies. He said there should be discipline so that misunderstanding and violence will be avoided.

With regards to the food preparation, Tumulak said the city government is willing to investigate it and improve the food service inside the jail.

The prisoner was able to escape the facility by breaking the rusty prison bars and jumping over the fences.

Tumulak said with the incident, the jail should also improve their security measures.

“They need to improve their security system because an inmate was able to escape. (If they will not fix it) we will expect the same incident (in the future). He said the prison bar was rusty so he was able to escape,” he said.

After a medical checkup, the prisoner was sent back to the Cebu City Jail.