No one will escape, jail officials vow

MANILA, Philippines—Jail officials on Friday vowed tougher measures to ensure “zero escapes” this year by inmates of Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) facilities nationwide in response to Interior Secretary Jesse M. Robredo’s New Year call.

In a statement, BJMP Director Rosendo M. Dial vowed tighter jail security and faster disposition of all administrative cases against jail guards.

In his New Year’s message on Jan. 9, Robredo challenged the BJMP to ensure that “all inmates are 100 percent in and not one is out” of the jails.

The directive came in the wake of a number of escapes in 2011, some of them involving high-profile prisoners, including three suspected Chinese drug dealers who escaped from the Parañaque city jail allegedly with the help of the guards.

Offhand, BJMP officials could not give the number of jail escapes in 2011 but an information officer admitted there was a “slight rise” from 2010.

Dial said he immediately called for a meeting with the BJMP’s director for investigation and prosecution, director for intelligence, legal service and other key officers to review policy and restructure plans of action for 2012.

“We are really challenged by the statement of the secretary, that is why we are really working hard and imposing stricter vigilance in the safekeeping operations of the bureau,” Dial said.

“We know it’s a tough challenge for everyone but we will do our best to prevent escapes from our facilities. And because it’s a tough challenge, we will be tough also on erring personnel up to giving them the maximum penalty of dismissal if the evidence warrants it,” he said.

Dial gave a deadline of 30 days for the disposition of all administrative cases of the BJMP, especially those related to the escape of inmates.

“We want to send a serious message and reminder to our personnel that we are really in business and heads will definitely roll if they fall short of what the bureau requires of them,” he said.