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[av_heading heading=’JAILERS, COPS TO FOIL DRUG DEALS’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY RESEL JOY TIANERO
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Saturday, April 29, 2017
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ILOILO City – Jail and police officers are planning to intervene in the communication between detainees and their visitors in a bid to cut drug personalities off from their connections outside of detention.
But whatever is on the drawing board of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and the Philippine National Police stays confidential for now, according to BJMP regional director Rex Delarmente.
“Bal-an mo naman, kon mabal-an ang imo scheme, mabale-wala kay ma-counter nila (They may find ways to foil our scheme if they learn about it),” Delarmente told Panay News.
Delarmente and Chief Superintendent Jose Gentiles, Police Regional Office 6 director, already discussed this during the joint meeting of the Iloilo City Peace and Order Council and the Iloilo City Anti-Drug Abuse Council on Thursday.
“In due time mabal-an ang result kon effective (we’ll know if our scheme is effective),” Delarmente said.
Delarmente’s statement came in light of Atty. Gil Pabilona’s comment that it is business as usual for drug personalities detained in the Iloilo City District Jail – Male Dormitory in Barangay Ungka, Jaro district.
Jails appear to be the “weakest link” in the fight against drugs, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency regional director said.
From their cells, Pabilona said, drug personalities continue to direct the operation of their minions outside.
Jail officers have no means to control the communication between the inmates and their visitors, Delarmente said. And there are “too few” jailers monitoring the visitors, the BJMP official added.
Right now the most that the jail officers can do is to “limit the number of visitors and the number of hours,” he told Panay News.
Currently visitors are allowed to see the inmates only twice a week and can stay for only an hour. Extending or cutting the visiting time is at the discretion of the jail warden, said Delarmente.
In addition, BJMP Region 6 received a national office directive to impose strict measures during conjugal visits, the assistant regional director for administration and operation Jail Superintendent Gilbert Peremne told Panay News.
Before, conjugal visits were allowed every Friday until Sunday.
Now such visits are limited to twice a month and for only an hour and 30 minutes if the inmate’s partner does not want to stay overnight, said Peremne.
“Allowed gihapon sila mag-overnight pero twice a month na lang gid,” he clarified.
Any visitor violating these policies will be banned from the jails, stressed Peremne.
Jail wardens are now required to construct conjugal rooms outside the regular detention cells, he said.
Inmates are not entitled to conjugal visits, Peremne clarified. A conjugal visit is a privilege, which is why it is regulated, he said.
The increasing number of inmates at the Jaro facility also prompts BJMP to control the number of visitors, said Peremne./PN
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