Naga confirms overcrowded jail facilities

NAGA CITY, Philippines (Bicol Standard) – “Based on the standards of the United Nations, we have a 400 percent congestion rate.”

This was the information relayed by Superintendent Milton Placencia, head of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) here.

Placencia confirmed that there are 493 inmates at the said jail facility.

“The ideal number should only be 120, if we will follow the international standards,” he said.

Asked if there is any government plan of constructing an additional jail for the growing number of inmates, he said that presently, there is an ongoing construction of an annex building.

However, the additional cells would be available in three to four months, he added.

In the same interview, Placencia explained that out of the 493 jailed persons, 261 are facing cases related to drugs.

“Almost 58 percent of our inmates are being tried for their involvement in illegal drugs. They are being tried in the different court branches,” he said.

As to the budget allocation for food, Palencia said that they are receiving the same daily allocation of P50 for every jailed person per day.

“We know that it is not enough, but we have always tried our best to make both ends meet,” he elucidated further.

Regarding the problem of overcrowded jail facilities, he confirmed that there is really a big problem, especially at night when the inmates sleep.

He also mentioned the problem on the supply of water from the Metro Naga Water District, which he wants to be addressed.

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Melissa Basmayor is the editor of the Bicol Standard, a regional partner of Philstar.com.