Jail congestion still a problem in Eastern Visayas

TACLOBAN CITY—Jails under the supervision of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Eastern Visayas remain congested, forcing inmates to endure difficult conditions in facilities in Borongan City in Eastern Samar province and Tacloban City in Leyte province.

Jail Supt. Bernardo Sanchez, BJMP chief in the region, cited the case of Borongan jail, which ideally could house only 15 inmates but now holding 83 inmates or a congestion rate of 453 percent.

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The Tacloban jail, which was designed to hold 187 inmates, has 521 inmates or a congestion rate of 184 percent. “We cannot provide the full program for [the inmates’] welfare and development because we lack space for their rehabilitation services,” Sanchez said.

“But we are doing our best to decongest the jail facilities under our supervision. This involves helping expedite their court hearings and granting them release through good conduct time allowance, which reduces their jail time,” he added.

Sanchez said they were also constructing new and larger jails to address congestion. —JOEY A. GABIETA