Curfew violators add to congestion of Cordova’s jail facility

CORDOVA, Cebu – Eight persons including three minors were apprehended by the Cordova police on Wednesday night for violation of the town’s curfew ordinance resulting in heavy congestion of the municipality’s detention facility.

Cordova Mayor May Therese Sitoy-Cho has implemented the town’s 8 pm to 5 am curfew through the Executive Order No. 9-C series of 2020 which also put Cordova under Community Quarantine.

Five (5) of those arrested were caught by Poblacion Barangay officials while having a drinking session at the Poblacion Birthing Center while the three (3) minors were also rescued at the same barangay.

Those arrested who are of legal age spent the night inside the town’s detention facility while the minors were held at a separate area in the station.

The arrest of the curfew violators bloated the number of detainees at the Cordova Municipal Police Station detention facility to 165, an increase of more than 500% for a facility designed to accommodate only 30 prisoners.

The Cordova local government is now processing its request for the facility to be expanded to address the problem of congestion.

The Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) has stopped admitting detainees since it is also overpopulated.

“May this serve as a warning to all Cordovanhons. Covid-19 is a serious health issue, do not treat it as a joke. The Cordova PNP and the Cordova LGU will not take violators lightly.” said Police Lieutenant Jan Ace Elcid Layug, Cordova Police Station Chief. /RCG