Mayor urges courts to decongest Pasig jail

Pasig City Mayor Vicente Eusebio appealed to judges yesterday for the speedy issuance of a commitment order that would transfer suspects from the police jail to a bigger facility under the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).

Eusebio expressed alarm over the reported death of one inmate and the confinement to the hospital of another after they experienced difficulty in breathing due to congestion at the Criminal Investigation Bureau jail of the Pasig police station.

In his report to Eusebio, Pasig police chief Senior Superintendent Francisco Uyami Jr. said that one of the major problems at the police jail is the continued refusal of city jail authorities to accept suspects after the prosecutor orders an immediate arrest.

"I was told that only the commitment order from competent court handling the specific case would be honored by the jail before accommodating suspects," Uyami said.

He said that each of the three police investigation jails can only accommodate 10 prisoners, but are forced to take in almost 80 suspects.

Eusebio said the court should expedite their decisions in ordering the immediate transfer of the suspects to avoid another jail death.

"The rights of the prisoners and rights of those outside jails should be equally observed with the same level of compassion because they are still innocent until proven otherwise," the mayor said.

He has also ordered a massive cleanup of jail facilities.Last Aug. 11, inmate Michael Hemar, 25, was rushed to the Rizal Medical Center after complaining of chest pains.

Hemar, who is facing charges of malicious mischief and alarm and scandal, was declared dead less than an hour later.

Three days prior to his death, another inmate, Alvin Tolentino, was rushed to the same hospital because of high fever and difficulty in breathing. — Non Alquitran