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BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO
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ILOILO City – The campaign against illegal drugs has resulted to jail congestion, according to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).
Already, the Iloilo City District Jail in Barangay Ungka, Jaro district has stopped accepting inmates due to overcrowding at the facility, said Senior Inspector Jimmy Britanico, BJMP Region 6 community relations service officer.
Arrested drug suspects in the city are being forwarded to the Iloilo Provincial Integrated Jail (IPIJ) in Barangay Nanga, Pototan, Iloilo.
The Iloilo City District Jail has some 900 inmates now. The IPIJ, on the other hand, currently has 1,300.
“We expect more inmates to be remitted at the IPIJ, so we have a big problem,” said Britanico.
Since July 1, 2016 when the Philippine National Police launched Oplan Double Barrel – the intensified antidrug campaign – Britanico said the number of detainees remitted every week doubled.
Prior to Oplan Double Barrel, the average number of inmates remitted per week was only 10 to 15, revealed Britanico.
These past three months, however, this doubled – between 30 to 40 every week.
“We need more facilities to house the lawbreakers. We are worried,” said Britanico.
As a short-term remedy, the police lock-up cells in the towns of Oton, New Lucena, Leon, Maasin, Barotac Neuvo, Dumangas, Sara, Estancia would be accommodating inmates, he said./PN
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