Mandaue jail warden: Tighter inspections on inmates’ visitors

This will be implemented after illegal drugs were found in one of the cells of the jail

Mandaue City Jail Warden says there will be no changes in the visiting hours of inmates, but the inspections of the visitors this time will be tighter. | Mary Rose Sagarino

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu — The Mandaue City Jail Male Dormitory will tighten its inspection of individuals who will visit their relative-inmates there.

This is after, they found at least eight small packs of suspected shabu weighing .35 grams inside one of the prison cells during a greyhound operation last Tuesday, Nov. 5.

The city jail conducted a greyhound operation last Monday and Tuesday where jail personnel found various contrabands such as phones, tobaccos, and sharp objects among others. But it was the operation on Tuesday that the illegal drugs were found.

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Probe on inmates ongoing

Jail Supt. John Conrad Marcilino Basilio, jail warden, on Thursday, Nov. 7 said that investigation of inmates inside the cell was ongoing. 

Sanctions will be imposed on the responsible inmates, once they would be identified by the disciplinary board depending on the severity of the violation.

Basilio suspected that the drugs might be from individuals who visited the inmates but investigation was still ongoing.

Basilio said that visitation would stay normal amid issues and concerns that it was temporarily suspended due to the drugs found.

“Actually sa dalaw-dalaw nagtaka rin po ako. Sabi ko wala naman’g problema doon sa dalaw. Malayo nga ang pinag gagalingan ng mga yan (family) kailangan natin’g bigyan kasi sila ang pinaghuhugutan nila (inmates) ng lakas,” said Basilio.

(Actually for those visitors, I also wonder. I told myself there is no problem there in the visitors. They (family) came from far away places, we need to give them (inmates) their source of strength.)

Enhance searching procedures

However, the jail warden said that they would enhance their searching procedures to visitors especially that some of them had been intercepted for trying to sneak in contrabands such as tobaccos and cellphones among others. 

On Thursday, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology Region 7 also conducted a follow-up greyhound operation.

The Mandaue City Jail has been conducting morning meetings, implementing different programs such the Alternative Learning System, Rehab program, and games and activities to ease the boredom such as poster making contest.