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[av_heading heading=’Majority of IDJ inmates have drug cases ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO
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ILOILO City – Sixty percent of inmates at the Iloilo District Jail (IDJ) in Barangay Nanga, Pototan, Iloilo have drug-related cases.
IDJ has a total of 2,036 as of Aug. 4 – 1,909 males and 127 females.
According to Senior Inspector Abner Zamora, jail warden, the number of inmates with drug cases could still rise due to the continuing campaign of the Philippine National Police against drug trafficking.
If the IDJ becomes congested, some inmates may be detained in municipal jails, he said.
“We are preparing for such scenario. Tapping municipal jails is an option,” said Zamora.
Another reason for the possible congestion are the slow court proceedings. Zamora said IDJ inmates could be transferred to the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila only after they have been convicted by the court.
Last month, inmates in IDJ’s 128 detention cells were inspected but no illegal drugs and guns were found, only pointed objects that could be used as weapons.
The “surprise” inspection was backed by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Unit and Iloilo Police Provincial Office.
IDJ recently attracted controversy. Several arrested women drug pushing suspects claimed they received instructions from IDJ detainees.
Following this allegation, 32 guards of the IDJ were relieved from their posts. Zamora, however, insisted his men were not involved in illegal drugs.
Still, he admitted that his guards’ reassignment aimed to prevent them from getting too cozy with inmates.
The sacked guards had been serving the IDJ for four or five years already. They were reassigned to other jails in Iloilo city and province.
The replacement guards for the IDJ came from other jail facilities such as those in the Iloilo towns of Guimbal, Barotac Viejo, Dumangas, and Pototan, and the BJMP male and female dormitories in Iloilo City./PN
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