Official says contracting jail security a risky idea

Letting blue guards man the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center is a risky decision, or so says the chief of the police unit regulating security agencies.

Superintendent Rey Lyndon Lawas, head of Firearms and Explosives, Security Agencies and Guards Supervision, said letting security guards man the provincial jail is a risky, although legal, decision.

The provincial government recently decided to assign security guards to CPDRC under contract of a security agency. An advertisement inviting eligible security agencies to bid for the contract was already publicized last week.

Contract location is CPDRC with a budget of over P4 million for four and a half months.

Lawas, who already knew of the plan from Capitol consultant for security Byron Garcia, said this is the first time he heard of a local government unit contracting security personnel for its jail.

But he said security guards are allowed by law to man jails as provided in Republic Act 5487.

"Our security guards are all qualified but the question is on whether they will still have to undergo extensive training," Lawas said.

Further training is needed considering that the contract between the winning security agency and the province will bear responsibility should there be lapses the handling of inmates.

The cost for the training will also be cited in the MOA on whether it will be shouldered by the province or the winning security agency.

The job inclusions in the contract are the manning of all security posts in CPDRC, handling and escorting of inmates to and from court hearings or hospital visits and must also possess the necessary equipment and vehicles.

There are at least 84 Cebu-based security agencies in the region.