Bigger budget asked for CDPRC; Will drug use in jail be fixed?

Is this trade of illegal drugs still rampant in the Cebu provincial jail?

This was the question posed by members of the Provincial Board to the warden when they examined a  proposal for  a budget increase for 2015.

In last Monday’s budget hearing, Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale asked the warden Romeo Manansala  if illegal drugs still find their way inside the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC).

He didn’t give a categorical answer. The budget hearing dragged for two and a half hours because Manansala, who is seeking a P17 million increase in the jail’s current P70.7 million budget failed to include programs to eliminate drug use in the jail.

“We asked him to answer with a yes or no.  Can you assure us that there are no drugs inside the CPDRC?” said PB Member Carmen Durano-Meca.

“He replied that he would be overconfident if he said there’s none.  Then he said “naa gyu’y musuyop pero wala’y negosyo.” (In reality, there are drug users.)”

“We didn’t get his assurance,” said Mecca, who co-chairs the Cebu Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Commission.

Last month, jail guards confiscated shabu  from a jail visitor and top officials  were linked by an anonymous letter to the smuggling of drugs in the CPDRC but the charge was never proved.

Provincial Budget Officer Danilo Rodas said the increase in the  budget proposal was due to the large number of inmates and the need to feed inmates at a cost of  P52 million.

Each of the 2,100 detainees has a  meal budget of P60 a day.

According to Manansala, the jail has seven guards per shift , instead of 15 guards  to adequately monitor CDPRC.

He said the “leaning” tower in the jail needs repair. Guards were pulled out there  after it was damaged. More closed-circuit television cameras (CCTVs) and K-9 dogs for regular inspections are needed.

The  jail has 20 inmates with drug-related cases due for transfer to the National Bilibid Prison in Muntinglupa, said Meca.

The warden told her the transfer would take place after Christmas because he pitied the inmates.

Damaged CCTVs will soon be monitored by CPADAC and the Governor’s Office.

“We will try our best to address their needs with the budget for next year. We are just waiting for the program of work so that we can include that in the budget,” Meca said.