Police to ask congressmen to fund construction of bigger jails in towns

Police Colonel Roderick Mariano, Cebu Provincial Police Office director | CDN Digital file photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — With the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) housing almost a thousand inmates more than its capacity, the provincial police are considering asking the district representatives to build bigger penitentiaries for the towns.

Police Colonel Roderick Mariano, Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO), said that they had begun talks with district representatives to install bigger detention facilities in their respective districts.

Mariano said that upon visiting the police stations in the towns, detention cells were already holding beyond what they were built for.

“Yan talaga ang problema ng lahat. Overcrowded. With our fight against illegal drugs tapos may discipline zone pa ako,” Mariano said.

(That is a problem of all. Overcrowded. With our fight against illegal drugs and we also have a discipline zone.)

With cases filed in court, detainees in local police stations were supposed to be forwarded to the CPDRC. However, the CPDRC management’s moratorium on accepting new inmates is still in place.

Read more: Congestion in CPDRC: Management stops accepting inmates

The CPDRC is supposed to hold only 1,610 inmates. At present, it houses over 2,500 detainees. The number has reduced from the 3,900 individuals it used to hold before the moratorium in 2018.

“There’s a need talaga to build a bigger facility. Kaya namin nilalapit sa governor at sa mga congressmen para ma-decongest,” Mariano said.

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, in a separate interview, said the district representatives would be in the best position to look for funds to build more district jails.

“The district representatives gyud ang in the best position to shell out funds. Let me point out Congressman Salimbangon. During his term, nakapangayo gyud syag funds for his district to expand their district jail, and I hope the representatives will take a cue from there,” Garcia said.

(The district representatives are in the best position to shell out funds. Let me point out Congressman (Benhur) Salimbangon. During his term, he was able to get funds for his district to expand their district jail, and I hope the other House representatives will take a cue from there.)/dbs