New Consolacion jail: Bigger, more improved one to rise soon

Officials from BJMP and Municipality of Consolacion break ground for the construction of the new Consolacion municipal jail on March 25. | photo by Niña Mae Oliverio

CEBU CITY, Philippines — A bigger facility for persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) will rise soon in Consolacion, northern Cebu.

This as the officials from the national and regional offices of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and the Municipality of Consolacion held a ground breaking ceremony for the construction of the new Consolacion Municipal Jail located in Barangay Panas on Tuesday. 

In a message delivered by Jail Chief Superintendent Efren Nemeño, on behalf of BJMP Chief Ruel Rivera, said that the approximately 1.5 hectares lot the BJMP would use was donated by the municipal government. 

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“The donation of this lot by Mayor (Teresa “Nene”) Alegado not only signifies her support for BJMP, but also underscores her understanding of the crucial role that a well-equipped modern facility plays in ensuring the effective administration of justice,” Rivera said. 

“The Consolacion municipal jail will serve as a vital institution in ensuring the safety and rehabilitation of the individuals who have transgressed the law. It is a place where accountability meets compassion, where discipline meets redemption under the principle of justice are upheld with unwavering commitment,” he added.

Alegado said in her speech that they requested for a P300 million appropriation from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). But when it was approved, the final budget was P184 million, omitting the plan to include a sports facility.

Five-year delay 

Alegado said that the facility was supposed to start its construction in 2020, when the local government unit donated the lot to the BJMP. Since it was the height of the pandemic, it was delayed, to which Nemeño also agreed. 

“The project was supposed to start in 2020,” Nemeño said, “[but] that is already beyond our control but we are very thankful to the present administration and the previous (DILG) secretary (Benhur Abalos) nga natagaan gyud og pondo ang Consolacion municipal jail. Na late gyud ta gamay pero at least nahinayon gyud.”

Meanwhile, Alegado said that despite the budget cut, she was thankful the DILG granted the request since the LGU needed a wider space for the persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) as the current municipal jail was densely populated.

The existing municipal jail, which is located beside the Police station, also faced congestion problems already which also led to health issues among the PDLs. The current municipal jail could only cater an ideal number of 60 PDLs but it had reached to more than 300. 

“Nagdali gyud ko nga mabalhin sila kay maluoy ta. Tawo ra man pod ta, if you could only see them sa ilang situation. Di man ko makaagwanta og mga ingon ana gud,” Alegado said.

Why site was chosen

Alegado added that they chose the site after seeing that it was environmentally conducive. 

She added that the new facility could cater more or less 500 PDLs. 

“This place is very virgin nga dili ka mahadlok nga naay infiltration of anybody else unya mao man say among nakit-an nga baligya nga yuta,” she said. 

The local government purchased the lot worth P6.5 million.

Karla Magsino, representative of 515 Life Construction Corporation, the project’s contractor, said that the new municipal jail would have a two-floor Administration Building, three-floor Accommodation Building, and a one-story kitchen area.

There will also be multi-purpose halls for training and rehabilitation of the PDLs. The contractor eyed to complete the construction within 360 days. 

Once the new municipal jail becomes operational, the LGU is planning to expand the Police station and preserve some of its areas given its heritage value built in 1943, Alegado said.

Others, who attended the ground breaking included the officials from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) Jail Senior Inspector Neal Rosaroso, Jail Chief Superintendent Neil Avisado, Jail Senior Superintendent Nanding Bayle, Jail Superintendent Jose Rusylvi Abueva.