Mandaluyong jail to undergo repair to prevent more inmate deaths

Mandaluyong City Mayor Benjamin Abalos Jr. directed the city’s engineering office yesterday to repair and establish additional ventilation at the city jail to prevent more deaths among inmates.

“I’ve already initiated measures in the past to decongest the jail and we are doing it again to prevent further deaths in the facility,” he told The STAR.

Abalos’ reaction came after four inmates at the facility died within a period of six days since Sept. 17.

Inmates Joseph de la Rama, Albert Toremocha, Arnold Mariano and Erwin Pelosis complained of difficulty in breathing, prompting jail authorities to rush them to the nearby Mandaluyong City Medical Center (MCMC) where they were declared dead on arrival by attending doctors.

Initial reports reaching Abalos showed the inmates died of depression and sepsis or blood poisoning.

Upon receipt of news of the inmates’ death, Abalos summoned Superintendent Joseph Vela, head of the local Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), and ordered him to submit a report, including the autopsy report of the inmates.

The jail facility was built to accommodate some 800 inmates. Abalos said Vela reported that only 600 inmates were housed in the building and the number would be lessened with the planned transfer of the 80 female inmates to the office currently occupied by the fire department.

Abalos said the number of inmates in the jail significantly decreased in the past years because of the implementation of the juvenile justice system. – Non Alquitran