The management of the Cebu City Jail is asking for the city government’s help as their budget for inmates’ food may be delayed starting next month.
Cebu City Jail Warden Arnel Peralta said they were informed about the concern on the budget by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) National Headquarters in Manila.
This prompted him to write a letter request to Mayor Tomas Osmeña dated August 3. The letter was received by the mayor’s office on Friday.
In a memorandum to all regional directors dated July 27, the BJMP headquarters said their budget for inmates’ meals this year may not be enough due to continued increase in inmate committals in the city jail.
At present, there are already 4,772 inmates in the Cebu City Jail.
The Cebu City Jail allocates a budget of P60 per inmate per day for their meals.
With the current number of inmates, this means the City Jail spends around P8.5M per month or P103M per year on meals alone.
The Cebu City Jail only has an ideal capacity of 1,700 inmates