THE Davao City Jail in Maa will soon be decongested as the construction of the new jail house is expected to be finished before the end of 2022, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP)-Davao said.
BJMP-Davao spokesperson Jail Inspector Edo Lobenia told SunStar Davao in an ambush interview on Wednesday, May 18, that the New Davao City Jail Building located in Barangay Wangan, Calinan can occupy up to 5,000 inmates.
Lobenia said the new City Jail is expected to be operational before the end of the year.
The official said the current City Jail has around 2,500 inmates or persons deprived of liberty (PDLs). He said this exceeded its 1,000 capacity.
"We are aware of the recurring issue, at the same time, it's actually a perennial problem sa ating mga jail [sa bansa] (in our jails in the country)," Lobenia said.
Admittedly, the official said the congestion in the jails is alarming since this can cause an epidemic outbreak inside the facility.
However, as of this writing, Lobenia said there is no active Covid-19 case in the prison.
While waiting for the completion of the new jail, Lobenia said they have coordinated with paralegals to expedite the cases of the inmates. Other than that, he said they cannot do anything for now.
"Right now, hopefully, before the end of the year, makalipat tayo sa (we can already transfer some of our inmates in) Wangan, Calinan... Hopefully we will have a zero congestion," Lobenia said.
The construction of the new jail facility, which broke ground in 2020, was scheduled to be completed that same year but had been delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The P369-million four-story state-of-the-art building is equipped with new facilities that can be used for rehabilitation programs.