|
Monday, September 20, 2004
'Foul' food served at Cebu City jail
ASIDE from cramped space and inhuman living conditions at the facility, the inmates’ food at the Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center (BBRC) is also “horrible.”
That is why Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) president Eugenio Faelnar is asking the Cebu City Government to take over the preparation of the prisoners’ food from caterers.
Faelnar, who learned of the situation from his constituents in Barangay Guadalupe who spent time at BBRC, said it is common knowledge that jail officials ask “cuts” from the caterers. As a result, the caterers have to scrimp on the inmates’ food to make a profit.
Fit to eat?
“I don’t know if fit pa for human consumption. That’s because of how it’s cooked. So I asked, what if we’ll just handle the food preparation? Right now it’s being catered,” Faelnar said.
The City, following complaints of corruption, special treatment, and drug peddling in the jail, took back the food assistance and P1,000 incentives for each of the jail guards last year.
Mayor Tomas Osmeña said that unless the situation in the facility gets better, the food assistance will not be reinstated.
Faelnar, though, said the jail will not get better if the living conditions are not improved.
Take charge
That is why, he said, he is willing to personally take charge of the matter once Osmeña agrees to his proposal. The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) budget of P40 a day for each inmate, he said, is small but can still be used to get better food.
BBRC at present has at least 2,219 inmates. If each inmate is allotted P40, all of them should get food worth at least P88,760 a day.
“Kung tarongon lang ng kwartaha, makakaon na man sila’g tarong bisa’g baboy pa panagsa. Dili ng dubuk-dubok na (If that money is allotted properly, the inmates will get to eat even pork at times, not rotten food),” Faelnar said.
MOA
Under the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) the City entered into with the BJMP and Department of Interior and Local Government, the City is supposed to give financial assistance to BBRC.
But Osmeña, in an interview last week, said he might as well have that portion deleted because he will not allow any assistance to the jail if authorities do not reform themselves.
BBRC was again caught in controversy after a surprise inspection yielded 35,000 worth of shabu, sniffing paraphernalia, and improvised weapons from just one cell.
It convinced City Councilor Augustus Pe Jr. that the jail guards continue to tolerate the entry of illegal drugs in the facility.
The incident also became the subject of a Congress committee on dangerous drugs inquiry the other day. RHM
(September 20, 2004 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
SUPERBALITA
WEEKEND
|
