Chief admits shortage of men in CV prisons

CEBU, Philippines - The new director of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology in Region 7 had admitted that the bureau is undermanned but assured that efforts are doubled to ensure security at the jail.

Supt. Serafin Barreto Jr. said there are only 830 personnel serving the jails in the entire Central Visayas jails that have a total of 8,600 inmates.

Despite this shortcoming, Barreto said in a statement that BJMP is compensating this problem by enhancing personnel capability and using technology to ensure security in all jails in the region.

“We cannot add more searchers yet due to lack of BJMP personnel. We can (however) add more training and use special gadgets such as detectors as well,” the statement reads.

Barreto said K9 units have also been deployed to help personnel detect the possible entry of illegal drugs, explosives and other prohibited items into the jail.

There are at least three K9 units from Manila that jails in Cebu like the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center can borrow. BJMP-7 can also give free training to K9 units.

Barreto said they need to enhance detection of illegal drugs especially that cases of possession of such substances are common in densely-populated jails. In the past weeks, for example, CPRDC inmates were found with drug paraphernalia and shabu in separate occasions.

He said this can be possible considering that several inmates are facing drug-related cases but it is something that needs to be investigated and stopped. – (FREEMAN)