Council OKs relocation of QC jail

THE QUEZON City jail coping not just with overcrowding but also with leaky roofs. LYN RILLON

The Quezon City Council has authorized Mayor Herbert Bautista to enter into an agreement with the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) for the transfer of the city jail to a property acquired by the local government in Barangay Payatas.

“To effectively implement the development of the new Quezon City Jail, there is a need for the BJMP-QC to enter into a usufruct agreement with (the local government) so as to legalize its use and possession of the property,” according to the resolution introduced by Councilor Godofredo Liban II.

The city government acquired the 3.4-hectare property for P134 million from MS Florendo & Sons Inc. in April last year. A hectare will be used for a barangay community center while 2.4 ha will be allocated for the new jail complex that could accommodate 6,600 inmates.

The city jail is presently located in Barangay Kamuning and holds about 3,600 inmates, way beyond its capacity of about 800.

The transfer of the female dormitory, which has 650 detainees, from Camp Karingal to the new facility is also being considered.

Aside from the congestion, the local government deems the present location of the jail “strategically inconvenient and disadvantageous to its neighboring communities.”

The Department of the Interior and Local Government will shoulder the cost of construction of the new jail. A P200-million budget allocated in 2012 was reverted because the project was delayed for lack of an appropriate site.

The resolution, passed by the city council in January, noted that the BJMP-QC had presented its site development plans, building plans and budgetary requirement, which the local government found sufficient and acceptable.