Caloocan jail can earn income for city, chief says

The Caloocan City Jail can become an income generator for the local government, according to its top official who is urging councilors to consider his proposals.

Jail Supt. Paulino Moreno Jr. said an ordinance, for example, could be passed to collect fees for the issuance of jail documents such as certificates of detention and certified true copies of jail bookings and manifestations.

Another ordinance could set up an identification system for jail visitors, for which there would also be corresponding fees, he said.

“Other cities have passed such ordinances, which can be our simple contribution to revenue generation in the city,” Moreno said in a recent courtesy call to the city council.

Appointed city jail chief in September, Moreno also called on the local government to donate land for a jail annex in Caloocan North, noting the existing jail was already congested and that about a third of the detainees there came from Caloocan North. Nathaniel R. Melican