BACOLOD CITY — The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) on Wednesday presented two brand-new prisoner vans to the two Metro Bacolod District Jail (MBDJ) facilities in this city.
The recipients are the MBDJ Male Dormitory located in Barangay Handumanan and the MBDJ with Special Intensive Care Area situated inside the Bacolod City Police Compound in Barangay Singcang-Airport.
“This will boost our mobility and will help us secure the PDLs (persons deprived of liberty) when they are transported to court hearings,” said Chief Insp. Norberto Miciano, warden of the MBDJ Male Dormitory.
Miciano and Chief Insp. Ruth Estales, warden of the MBDJ Female Dormitory, turned over the vehicles to Mayor Evelio Leonardia during rites held at the Bacolod City Government Center grounds on Wednesday.
Each prisoner van, worth about PHP800,000, has a cage on the rear part to secure the inmates, as well as an area for the jail guards. The front seat is air-conditioned. The vehicle also has a blinker and a speaker.
The MBDJ Male Dormitory alone has 772 inmates, about 65 percent of whom are facing drug-related cases. Some 35 PDLs are considered high-profile and high-value.
Miciano said that as the jail population expands, the average number of court hearings they facilitate also increases.
He added that they transport an average of 20 inmates per day to court hearings scheduled from Monday to Friday.
Meanwhile, Miciano said the MBDJ Male Dormitory personnel are now strengthening the security features of the jail to prepare for the construction of a PHP40-million annex facility.
The new jail, a four-storey building with 40 cells, will house up to 400 inmates.
“After the groundbreaking last June 27, we have started the layout and changed the security features of the jail so that once construction starts, the area would be secured,” he added. (Nanette Guadalquiver/PNA)