Cebu City Jail’s ‘dunol’ resumes on Dec. 29

A booth was set up at the Fuente Circle to serve as drop off area for food and other items that are intended for Cebu City Jail detainees. | Photo courtesy of Councilor Dave Tumulak

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Cebuanos with relatives who are detained at the Cebu City Jail will now have a chance to send food and other essentials to their loved ones.

Starting this Tuesday, December 29, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) that is manning the city jail will resume with its “dunol,” a system which they devised to allow families and relatives of the detainees to sent them food and their other needs without having to travel to the city jail in Barangay Kalunasan.

Under the ‘dunol’ system, families visit a drop off booth which the BJMP and the Cebu City government set up at the Fuente Osmeña circle to deliver the food packs for their detained relatives.  Jail personnel will be the ones to hand these to its supposed recipients.

Councilor Dave Tumulak said the BJMP’s “dunol” will last for three days, from Tuesday, Dec. 29, to Thursday, Dec. 31, and will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Tumulak gave his announced following a meeting at the Cebu City Hall on Monday, Dec. 28, involving Mayor Edgardo Labella, himself, and BJMP officials.

While they allow items from the outside to be brought into the jail facility that now houses around 6, 400 inmates, Tumulak said these will be subjected to stringent security check to make sure that the packages do not include contraband.

Those who will be visiting the BJMP booth at the Fuente Osmeña Circle will also be required to observe health protocols to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease.

“These include wearing face masks, face shields, and presentation of quarantine passes (Qpass) which should be in compliance with the number-coding scheme,” Tumulak said.

“Bringing along minors below 15-years-old and seniors 65-years-old and above are also prohibited,” he added.

Jail Supt. Jose Rusylvi Abueva said they decided to allow the three-day “dunol” in celebration of the holiday season.  He said that they also anticipate a large number of individuals who will want to send packages to detainees at the city jail.

“We’re expecting a lot of relatives who will be sending their packages, given the number of PDLs (person deprived of liberty) we have. That’s why we agreed to open dunol for three days,” said Abueva in Cebuano.

BJMP has suspended visiting privileges in all detention facilities in the country since the pandemic started in March.

In Cebu, BJMP officials also ordered a suspension of  its “dunol” to deter the spread of the infection. / dcb