Thursday, November 23, 2006 BJMP to postpone transfer of inmates, cites lack of water
BUREAU of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) 7 Director Benito Dorigo is not sure if they can meet President Arroyo’s request to transfer more than 2,400 inmates to the new jail facility in Barangay Kalunasan, Cebu City before the Asean summit next month.
In a radio dyLA report, Dorigo was quoted as saying they will be forced to postpone the transfer because of the problem of lack of water supply.
The new jail lacks water, but Vice Mayor Michael Rama was able to get from the President a P6-million Special Allocation Release Order (Saro) for a water pump and piping system from the barangay’s water source to the jail, which sits on an elevated area.
Rama had said the City will provide water tankers to bring water to the jail each day while the BJMP reservoir is still being readied.
Opposed
But Kalunasan Barangay Captain Francisco Pintor stopped the drilling for a reservoir for the new jail last week. He objected to sourcing water from the barangay’s own well.
And after refusing to have the City-owned Kaohsiung buses used to ferry the inmates from the Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center (BBRC) in Barangay Lahug to Kalunasan, Mayor Tomas Osmeña also said Tuesday he will not allow BJMP to use the City’s tankers.
The mayor had long criticized BJMP for alleged graft and corruption, like special treatment on influential inmates, and prevalence of illegal drugs in BBRC.
City Councilor Augustus Pe, Jr., who earlier promised to try to convince the mayor into lending the City’s buses, said they can do nothing if the mayor does not want to help BJMP.
Told that Dorigo said over the radio that the transfer might not happen before the Asean summit, Pe said City Hall has already done its part in helping BJMP.
“They can’t transfer without the assistance of the City? When they decided to transfer, we tried to help kutob sa atong matabang,” he said.
Problem
In a separate interview, Rama said BJMP should be able to handle the situation.
“They have to solve that problem. They know there is a problem,” he said.
According to the radio report, Dorigo said the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center officials are negotiating for the provincial jail to provide water to BBRC, whose compound is just adjacent.
He said that even if the deal pushes through, BBRC will still need the water City Hall weas to provide.
But he said he respects the mayor’s decision not to help since it is the City that owns the tankers and buses. (RHM)
