By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan/PNA
MANILA — The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) has partnered with the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) to ensure the safety and fire resiliency of all city, district and municipal jails nationwide.
In a memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed on Tuesday, BJMP and BFP agreed to provide safer jail facilities and well-informed and capable jail personnel.
“We cannot accomplish our duties as jail officers if we fail to ensure that our detention facilities are fire-resilient thus we need the invaluable assistance of the Fire Service in keeping our jails fire-proof and secured for our PDL,” BJMP chief Jail Director Deogracias Tapayan said in a statement.
Tapayan said the partnership aims not only to prevent jail facilities from destructive fires but also to guarantee the safety and security of persons deprived of liberty (PDL).
“With the increasing jail population and overcrowding issues, there is also an increase in the number of detention facilities being built thereby it is important to emphasize the need to make every facility compliant with the fire standards implemented by the Fire Bureau,” he said.
Under the MOA, the BFP shall firm up a complete program for periodic fire safety inspection of all BJMP-manned jails and conduct a simultaneous inspection of the same facilities during the annual security assessment by the BJMP to ensure compliance to Republic Act 9514 or the Revised Fire Code of the Philippines.
The agreement also provides that the BFP, through its city and municipal fire marshals, shall coordinate with concerned city, district or municipal jail wardens to ensure that jails within the locality undergo fire safety inspection.
The BFP shall also conduct lectures and seminars on fire safety measures as well as workshops and fire drills to jail personnel to further educate them on recognizing structures, installations, materials and or devices in jail facilities that are substandard or non-compliant with the provisions of the rules and regulations of the Fire Code.
“The BFP is ready to work with our colleagues in the BJMP. We are honored for the trust and confidence that our partners in public service are giving us in attaining our common goal of saving the lives of our fellowmen,” BFP chief Fire Director Leonard Bañago said.
Bañago underscored the importance and consideration of the fire code requirements in designing and constructing jail facilities to deliver more and provide better jail management services.
