Iloilo LGU stops food subsidy for inmates

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — The Iloilo provincial government has stopped giving out food subsidy for inmates detained at the Iloilo Provincial Integrated Jail (IPIJ) at Brgy. Nanga in Pototan town, starting this year.

Governor Arthur Defensor Sr. said the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology-Region 6 has already assumed the food subsidy of the inmates while it is waiting for the approval of the DOJ on the proposed memorandum of agreement and further instruction from the DBM.

Defensor said the province has a standby budget of P 3.5 million for the food subsidy of more than 600 inmates presently detained at the jail.

Prior to the assumption of BJMP, the province has given P60,000 daily food allowance per inmate. “But, the auditor will not allow us to release the budget as long as the MOA is not yet approved,” the governor said.

The province has two-year transition period with the BJMP since 2011 but it was extended for another year after the BJMP admitted that it lacked enough fund for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE), which covers inmates’ food, electricity, water and other operating expenses of the jail.

Defensor said the turnover of IPIJ to BJMP was advantageous to the provincial government because it can save P22 million in funds for the MOOE of IPIJ. Further, the province could save more that P8.5 million monthly after terminating security services of private agency guards at the Capitol and replacing them with guards from the jail. (FREEMAN)