CPDRC, Cebu City Jail execs sued before Ombudsman

CEBU, Philippines — Owing to the pungent smell from the penal facilities, the administrators of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) and Cebu City Jail have been sued before the Office of the Ombudsman by a homeowners association.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Mountain View Subdivision, which is composed of around 300 members, complained of the stench reportedly coming from the wastewater facilities of CPDRC and city jail, which are both located in Barangay Kalunasan, Cebu City.

CPDRC Warden Reynaldo Valmoria, city jail Warden Renante Rubio, Governor Hilario Davide III, and Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña are the respondents of the complaint.

The complaint of nearby residents regarding the foul smell has been recurring since 2016.

The homeowners suspect that workers from CPDRC and the Cebu City Jail have been releasing some of the contents of their septic tanks into the Kalunasan creek.

The creek traverses the Our Lady of Guadalupe Langub Shrine, Cebu’s most iconic grotto, and hundreds of households in Barangay Kalunasan and neighboring Barangay Guadalupe.

CPDRC Warden Reynaldo Valmoria  and Davide clarified that the foul smell emanating from the creek came from human waste thrown by the city jail.

“It was clear nga dili gyud to siya amo nga baho. Didto to sa pikas (Cebu City Jail),” Valmoria said.

The governor said the facility’s septic tanks have been repaired to contain both the smell and their contents.

However, Valmoria inadvertently revealed that the CPDRC could not fully contain the stink from the septic tanks due to lack of drainage system.

He said the Capitol has allotted P115,000 for the construction of a drainage system.

But he said the appropriation is not sufficient considering the increase of construction materials.

“Approved na siya (budget for the drainage) P115,000 but walay mosukol na contractor,” he said.

Valmoria said he will ask Capitol officials to increase the budget.

He is set to meet with the provincial engineer to tackle the matter. (FREEMAN)