CPDRC
Visiting privileges are back at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) after jail authorities lifted a monthlong suspension last Monday.
As of yesterday morning, CPDRC Acting Warden Roberto Legaspi said they have allowed people to visit detainees at the provincial jail.
The privilege was suspended more than a month ago, last August 2, after a greyhound operation at the jail facility located in Barangay Kalunasan, Cebu City, yielded several contraband items such as illegal drugs, illegal gambling proceeds, improvised deadly weapons and several electronic gadgets.
Legaspi said that they decided to lift the suspension after the committee tasked to evaluate and implement security measures at the jail found no more reason to continue suspending the prisoners’ visitation rights.
“The CPDRC Task Force met last Monday, and we felt there’s no reason to continue the suspension. Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III approved the lifting because it was right to return the visiting privileges since we got a hold back of the security,” said Legaspi.
With the resumption of the privileges, Legaspi assured that security protocols will be stricter while maintaining the usual rules and regulations of the jail.
Visiting rights are within the hours of 8 a.m. to 12 noon, and one to three in the afternoon, from Monday to Friday.
“We’re looking closely at items coming in again as well as at our personnel bringing in belongings. … But aside from that, the system will be the same as before,” said Legaspi.
Just days after the greyhound operation, some jail staff were caught smuggling contraband items. Two jail guards were also apprehended by the CPDRC administration for bringing in at least P60,000 cash without declaring it.
CPDRC’s implementing rules and regulations mandate that all personnel, including blue guards and the administration staff, must declare all items brought inside during inspection at the gates.
To discourage their staff from bringing in items such as huge sums of cash and electronic gadgets, Legaspi said they had purchased around 100 lockers to serve as storage for these items.
“We will place it outside the building so before they can come into the facility itself, they will be asked to put their belongings inside the locker. Aside from visitors, we’re also concentrating on the staff now, from the blue guards to the administration,” he said,
Legaspi added that since the lockers are considered government property, they can be inspected at any time by authorities.