NABUNTURAN, Davao de Oro -- Started during the height of the pandemic, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology continues to implement ‘no contact’ visitations in District Jail Montevista.
Guesting at the Davao de Oro Defense Press Conference, Jail Chief Inspector Jul Akbar Jamiri emphasized that the BJMP has several programs to communicate with their loved ones, however, without physical contact.
Jail Chief Inspector Jamiri disclosed that physical visitations are still allowed in the district jail; however, persons deprived of liberty (PDL) and the visitors are separated by glass barriers and can only communicate using radio-type equipment.
The district jail also offers E-dalaw or electronic dalaw program as an alternate means of communication between the PDL and their loved ones.
“May authorize lang na tablet (na gagamiting) with the supervision of a BJMP personnel incharge para kahit papano makapag-usap sila sa kanilang loved ones, lawyers, or sino mang gusto nila; magpa schedule lang sila sa BJMP personnel (There is an authorized tablet (that will be utilized) with the supervision of a BJMP personnel incharge for the PDL to somehow talk to their loved ones, lawyers, or to whoever they want; they just have to schedule it with the BJMP personnel),” Jamiri added.
The jail warden also bared that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) donated two tablets for this program.
Aside from the tablets, the district jail also installed payphones in the facility, which can also be used by the PDLs.
The ‘no contact’ visit program is also aimed to prevent the entry of contraband including illegal drugs inside the jail, Jamiri underscored.
“Kami sa BJMP labi na ang Montevista District Jail, naningkamot na dili masudlan og any form of contraband labi na ang illegal drugs (We in the BJMP, especially the Montevista District Jail, are trying our best to prevent the entry of any form of contraband, especially illegal drugs),” he said.
Aside from the ‘no contact’ visitation, Montevista District Jail also implemented strong, proactive, and resilient security measures for contraband and illegal drugs inside the jail.
JCI Jamiri said that they are conducting a rough search for visitors entering the jail to increase the security system through authorized personnel searchers.
“We are allowing paabot system. Ang inallow namin is yung luto lang, tung dali ra i-search," Jamiri said.
He also reported that Montevista District Jail is not yet congested and houses 263 PDLs.
To also help the PDLs in the skills and capacity build-up, BJMP Montevista District Jail, in partnership with different stakeholders, conducted skills training, spiritual programs, livelihood programs, sports, and other welfare programs. PIA-DAVAO