ILOILO City – The 214 inmates of the Iloilo City District Jail male dormitory in Barangay Ungka, Jaro district passed the drug test they underwent recently.
According to Superintendent Larry Fuentes, jail warden, the drug test on Jan. 25 was preceded by a greyhound operation; detention cells were inspected.
“Pointed objects were found but there were no illegal drugs and firearms,” said Fuentes.
The pointed objects were later determined to be implements that the inmates used in their livelihood projects.
“We are very strict in checking jail visitors, their bags and the food they bring to ensure that no illegal drugs are sneaked in,” Fuentes said.
Friday last week’s greyhound operation was the first to be conducted at the jail. It was in line with “Oplan Linis Piitan of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).
There are 35 jail facilities in Western Visayas and all are aiming to secure certifications from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) as drug-cleared, said Jail Superintendent Gilbert Peremne, BJMP deputy regional director for administration.
For a jail facility to be certified as drug-free, no illegal drugs must be recovered from it during unannounced inspections of PDEA and allied forces from the uniformed service such as the Philippine National Police.
Also, the jails’ staff must be consistently active in their respective communities’ antidrug campaigns, and the jail wardens and guards must pass PDEA-facilitated drug tests every three months.
In 2018, no jail personnel failed their drug tests, according to Peremne./PN
