ILOILO – Reshuffling jail wardens may not be enough. More smuggled items were found at the Iloilo District Jail (IDJ) in Barangay Nanga, Pototan, Iloilo a week after the prison facility’s jail warden was booted out.
An unannounced inspection yesterday ordered by the new warden, Jail Superintendent Vicente Papelera, resulted to the confiscation of mobile phones and improvised weapons, among others.
Operatives from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Region 6 joined the “surprise” inspection around 5 a.m. at dormitories 4 and 2 and Special Intensive Care Area (SICA) where high-profile drug personalities were being detained.
No illegal drugs were found but the following were seized from dormitories 4 and 2:
* four cellular phones and six chargers
* six improvised knives
* a pair of scissors
* 20 spoons with pointed stainless handles
* seven stainless forks
* assorted nails
* one-half kilo of floral wire
* a toy gun
* 16 packs of cigarette
* 18 lighters
* four decks of playing cards
* four earphones
* three small speakers
* two pool tables
“We have not recovered any contraband from SICA. I’m happy there were no illegal drugs,” said Papelera who replaced as IDJ warden Jail Superintendent John Montero on May 31.
The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) reshuffled several jail wardens in Western Visayas last week in a bid to stop the smuggling of contrabands in prison facilities. Just this April 25, electronic gadgets – cellular phones and an iPad – were recovered from IDJ inmates.
“I want to clean the IDJ,” said Paperela who used to be the warden of the Iloilo City District Jail in Barangay Ungka, Jaro, Iloilo City.
The city district jail also had a problem with contrabands.
“I checked the four cellular phones recovered. There were no drug-related transactions in the text messages,” said Papelera.
Aside from the inspection yesterday, 45 inmates from dormitories 4 and 2, and 25 inmates from the SICA were subjected to drug tests. All of them passed the tests.
Upon is reassignment to the IDJ last week, Papelera described his new post as a “big challenge”, noting the prison facility’s large number of inmates.
“But I will only work honestly and impose the rules and regulations,” he said.
The IDJ has nearly 2,000 inmates, almost twice the number of inmates at the Iloilo City District Jail.
Meanwhile, former IDJ warden Montero last week did not discount the possibility that some of his men may have connived with inmates and jail visitors to smuggle contrabands inside the prison facility.
As a result of the April 25 confiscation of contrabands at the IDJ, Montero was charged administratively for conduct grossly prejudicial to the best interest of the service while his 10 jail guards were charged with simple neglect of duty.
The 10 were Senior Jail Officer 1 Garry Paniza, Jail Officer 2 Alexis Paniza, Jail Officer 2 Ramil Ventura, Jail Officer 2 Ballacabe, Jail Officer 1 Francis Ballador, Jail Officer 1 Joel Legario, Jail Officer 1 Robert Borlado, Jail Officer 1 Enrico Espiritu Jr., Jail Officer 1 July Posadas, and Jail Officer 1 Abel Blancaflor./PN
