New city jail warden vows to rid Ma-a Jail of all contraband

DAVAO CITY, Jan 12 (PIA) A new city jail warden has vowed to rid the Ma-a City Jail with drugs and other contraband.

Paying his courtesy call at the session Tuesday of the Sangguniang Panlungsod ng Dabaw, Jail Superintendent Jonathan Labate, warden of the Ma-a City Jail said clearing the jail is the greatest challenge to his leadership now.

He assumed management of the city jail only in December 2015.

Labate said just like other jails in the country, he remains unsure if the city jail is indeed drug-free.

“I will not promise, but I will do my best to make the jail zero in drugs, any contraband, zero in all forms of illegal items inside such as cellphones, wines and cigarettes in adherence to the smoking ordinance of the city,” he said.

He also described the city jail to have a land area at 600 square meters, with a building having 42 cells which house 2,525 inmates.

Labate said that ideally, the jail can only house 383 inmates.

“To ease the congestion, we conduct livelihood and religious activities in accordance with the program to reform and rehabilitate the inmates by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology with the support of non-government organizations,” he said.

Labate said the jail has 2,077 non-Moro inmates and 448 Moro detainees.

He said that out of the 2,525 inmates, 1,200 are registered voters.

Labate also revealed that there are 45 high risked detainees composed of drug lords, syndicate leaders and hard core criminals.

He said the detainees are 11 high-profile alleged offenders from the local government units like vice mayors and councilors of various towns and barangays, members of the police and Armed Forces.

“Members of the BJMP only act as their guards,” Balate pointed out.

He also revealed that 28 detainees are already serving their respective sentences, especially those who have to stay for three years below.

“70 percent of the cases filed against the detainees are drug-related while some were involved in crimes against persons like murder, rape and robbery,” he said. (PIA 11-Joey Sem G. Dalumpines)