Six months from now, the Tagbilaran City Jail will have 10 more jail cells through the TCJ’s P16-million expansion program intended to address the facility’s longstanding and severe congestion problem.
According to TCJ warden Jail Senior Inspector Mark Anthony Omega, construction of the jail cells, which will be built inside two new two-story buildings, started last month.
The project is being funded by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology while the lot for the new structures was donated by the Tagbilaran City government.
Omega bared that the facility currently has 420 detainees, way beyond its maximum capacity of 150.
The warden ascribed the detention center’s congestion to the government’s crackdown on illegal drug activities as 80 percent of the jail’s detainees are facing drug charges.
Meanwhile, the Bohol District Jail which is facing a similar congestion problem is also set to start construction of also 10 new cells after a P10-million budget was approved by the government.
Initial plans indicated that each of the ten new cells can accommodate 30 to 40 detainees and will be in an open area enclosed by steel bars to lessen heat and prevent the spread of diseases among inmates. (A. Doydora)