THE mayor of Tuburan town, midwest Cebu, is asking the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) to allow the transfer of of some prisoners to a neighboring municipality in order to decongest the jail.
The town lacks jail guards and its jail area is limited, Tuburan Mayor Democrito Diamante lamented.
“Hopefully, we can transfer our prisoners to Balamban town because our jail is already full,” Diamante told reporters during the Metro Cebu Development and Coordinating Body (MCDCB) full council meeting at the Capitol last Tuesday.
The Tuburan jail has 18 prisoners but has a capacity for only seven, said PO1 Brandon Ceniza of the Tuburan Police Station.
The mayor said the regional director of the BJMP already submitted a resolution to its national office asking for authority to take over the jail in Balamban.
The approval of Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas is also needed.
“If the resolution is approved, the prison in Balamban will then be under BJMP. That’s the time we can move our prisoners there,” said Diamante.
Diamante said the inmate population is expected to increase since the town has intensified its campaign against illegal drugs which could lead to more arrests.
However, Balamban police chief Florendo Fajardo said the jail in Balamban is much smaller and is also full with 10 prisoners occupying a jail designed for only five./UP-CEBU INTERN Juli Ann Sibi