Robredo eyes renting jail facilities

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) is considering renting jail facilities all over the country to decongest government-run jails, an official said yesterday.

“This will modernize and standardize jail facilities. We hope to do one within the year, we would like to check if this is workable,” Robredo said during a press conference.

He said renting would allow the DILG to secure jail facilities better. “We are talking not only comfort and convenience but security,” he added.

He said government-run jails house 400 percent more inmates compared to their ideal capacity.

Robredo said privatizing the management of jails, as is done in the United States, could not be yet be implemented in the Philippines.

Under the plan, Robredo said future jail facilities must have three to four floors – similar to the structure of the Metro Manila District Jail in Bicutan, Taguig City – and should be near the courts to minimize transportation expenses.

He also said he will seek to transfer all provincial jails from the jurisdiction of the local government to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).

At present, Robredo said only 19 of the 80 provincial jails in the country are under the BJMP’s jurisdiction.

Meanwhile, Robredo is eyeing the transfer of the Manila City Jail (MCJ), which occupies a 1.2-hectare lot estimated to be worth P5 billion.

The MCJ, one of the most congested jails in the country, was built in the 1800s along Oroquieta street in Quiapo district for 1,000 inmates. It currently houses 5,300 inmates.