ILOILO CITY – The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) has halted the admission of new detainees at the Iloilo City District Jail – Male Dormitory (ICDJ-MD) in Barangay Ungka, Jaro district after its population soared to a staggering 900 percent beyond capacity, making it one of the most overcrowded jails in Western Visayas.
Newly installed ICDJ-MD warden Jail Superintendent Denver Beltran said the suspension — now on its second month — was a necessary step to protect the safety and welfare of inmates amid the facility’s worsening congestion.
“As of today, our jail population is 1,485. Our ideal capacity is 140. So we are operating at around 900 percent congestion rate,” Beltran revealed. “Because of this, we have temporarily stopped accepting new PDLs for about two months now.”
The BJMP official said persons arrested within Iloilo City and originally slated for transfer to the Ungka facility are now being redirected to less congested jails in Pototan, Iloilo.
“Those who are newly arrested or scheduled for transfer to BJMP custody are brought first to Pototan,” Beltran explained. “The Iloilo (Province) District Jail–Male Dormitory can hold up to 1,000, and its congestion rate is still below capacity. The annex in (Barangay) Nanga (Pototan), which can accommodate up to 500, also has available space.”
Despite the overcrowding, Beltran assured that the BJMP continues to provide basic services such as medical consultations and wellness activities to safeguard the health of the 1,485 Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs).
“Although the facility is congested, we continue to deliver services such as medical and wellness programs to ensure the well-being of our PDLs,” he added.
Beltran did not specify when the intake suspension would be lifted, saying the measure remains in effect until the situation stabilizes.
The ICDJ-MD’s congestion problem mirrors the nationwide crisis of overcrowded jails, where limited space, high arrest rates, and slow court processes continue to strain the penal system.
The facility, designed for only 140 inmates, now holds more than ten times that number—underscoring what human rights groups have long described as a “ticking time bomb” for health and security risks inside Philippine detention centers.
Last June 6, 2024 a groundbreaking was held for the P235-million Phase 1 of a new P581-million Iloilo City District Jail on a two-hectare lot in Barangay Buntatala, Leganes, Iloilo.
The first phase of the project includes a three-story female dormitory building built on a structural frame.
The second phase of the project will include the administration office building, health services facility, kitchen, visitors’ and visitation building, commitment building, and primary perimeter fences.
As of this writing, the jail project remains unfinished.
The lot was purchased by the Iloilo City Government then donated it to the BJMP./PN
