ILOILO City – Jails across Western Visayas are on heightened alert.
The goal is to ensure there are no jailbreaks in prison facilities this holiday season, said Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) Region 6 director Senior Superintendent Joel Superficial.
The bureau set two periods of heightened alert: Dec.23 to Dec. 25, 2018 and Dec. 30, 2018 to Jan. 2, 2019.
“Each jail management has been instructed to maximize the work their personnel,” said Superficial.
Across Western Visayas, BJMP oversees 37 jails with 9,595 inmates.
Citing past incidents, Superficial did not discount the possibility that some persons deprived of liberty (the new term used by the BJMP to refer to inmates) would take advantage of the busy holiday season to flee or even commit crimes.
Superficial, however, clarified that the BJMP’s heightened alert status does not mean there won’t be holiday celebrations in prison facilities.
Holiday-related activities are allowed, said Superficial, but controlled and jail personnel must always focus on their primary job: ensure the safety and security of the prison facility and the inmates.
Superficial also said wardens have been given the discretion whether to extend the visiting hours in jails or not.
“Ang importante man lang sina nga ma-sure nga indi makompromiso ang safety and security sang inmates,” he stressed./PN
