THE Mandaue City Jail (MCJ) will transfer to a new facility in Dungguan, Barangay Basak, Mandaue City in the first quarter of next year.

The facility cost the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) an estimated P42 million.

JSupt. Gil Inopia, Mandaue City Jail Warden of the male dormitory, said the new facility is currently 90 percent done.

“Actually, it’s almost finished. The target was even supposed to be this year, but it seemed to us that the target could not be met. However, by the first quarter of next year, it looks like it will be 100 percent completed already,” Inopia said in Cebuano.

The new facility can accommodate 280 male prisoners, if used according to United Nations standards.

However, Inopia said, the new facility can accommodate double the number of the current prison population of 1,800 male prisoners in its current facility.

“The capacity of the male (dormitory), according to UN Standard, is 280; however, there is no standard in the Philippines... It can accommodate double our current capacity,” Inopia said in a mix of Cebuano and English.

S/Insp. Pauline Bajar-Omega, the jail warden of MCJ’s female dormitory, said since the construction of the female dorm has been delayed, the male prisoners will transfer ahead of the female prisoners.

“It depends on whether our (female) dorm has been completed. If the male dorm is already completed, they will transfer first, and we will just follow,” said Omega in Tagalog.

Inopia said the next project they are working on at the new facility is the perimeter fence. When the fence is completed, they will already be able to transfer to the new facility.

“Our next problem is the perimeter fence because this is a separate project. Hopefully, the City Government can help us because the BJMP has provided us only a small amount, so we’ll ask for support from the City,” said Inopia.

In June, the BJMP 7 announced that it would also start constructing this year facilities in Toledo City, and Balamban and Tuburan towns to address the congestion of detainees in Cebu Province. (KFD)