Security cameras sought for provincial jail, police precincts

An inmate’s jump off the viewing deck of the quadrangle of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) highlighted the necessity to install security cameras in the area.

Cebu Provincial Jail Warden Romeo Manansala said they only have three prison guards who each keep watch on the quadrangle in shifts. They also watch the inmates in the infirmary.

“Based on our situation, we should have three guards in the  quadrangle but they often go to the infirmary as well,” he said.

Joven Poligrates, a barangay councilman in barangay Mercedes, Poro, Camotes Island jumped off the viewing deck and wounded his head after falling headfirst on the ground.

He broke his fall after landing on the right shoulder of his fellow inmate, Reynaldo Formentera, who was just below the viewing deck at the time.

TRAUMA

Provincial Jail Consultant Marco Toral said Poligrates was brought to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) trauma center for treatment and will stay in an isolation cell.

He said Poligrates returned to the CPDRC after his condition improved yesterday afternoon.

READ: PBA player’s brother injured in jump

Poligrates is the brother of Eliud Poligrates, a point guard of the Kia Sorrento team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

Poligrates landed in jail for allegedly raping a pregnant neighbor.

Toral said Poligrates’ wife, a Grade Four public school teacher, told reporters that he wanted to go home but she told him that he needs to stay in jail to face the charges.

CUSTODY

CPDRC has 14 blue guards assigned at gate seven in the morning, four in the afternoon and three in the evening. Two guards are tasked to roam around the rooftop and three prison guards assigned at the quadrangle.

Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III said they will wait for the report from the CPDRC on the incident.  He said they will hire another jail warden and additional prison guards.

In yesterday’s Provincial Board (PB) session, a proposed ordinance called for the installation of closed circuit TV cameras (CCTVs) in every jail and police precinct in Cebu to prevent abuses committed by police officers on suspects in their custody.

The proposed ordinance is authored by Provincial Board (PB) Member Carmen Remedios Durano-Meca, who chairs the committee on ethics.

“The use and deployment of CCTV (cameras) in police stations and jails in the province are effective tools to deter and prevent such unwarranted controversies and ensure the rights of all detainees,” her resolution read.

Meca said the ordinance is in keeping with the Constitution’s Bill of Rights which guarantees the protection of the rights of detainees to preserve their well being, privacy and dignity.

INITIAL BUDGET

She cited Section 12 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution that prohibits “torture, force, violence, threat, intimidation, or any other means” against the detainee.

The draft ordinance was referred to the committee on public safety, peace, and order during yesterday’s regular session.

Under the proposed ordinance, CCTVs should be placed in all areas of public interaction, lock-ups, detention places, and interrogation rooms and in other places that may be determined by the station commander.

An initial budget of P1 million was indicated in the draft ordinance for the implementation of the program.
Violators will be jailed for at least one month or fined at least P5,000 or both based on the court’s discretion in keeping with the law.

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