The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology on Friday recommended for a transfer of the North Cotabato jail to a more secure area to prevent another jailbreak from occurring similar to the Sept. 4 incident when an estimated 100 armed men swooped down on the facility and sprang 158 inmates.
According to BJMP Region 12-Public Relations Office acting chief J/Insp. Elizar Roncesvalles, it would be a wise step to move the plant to a more secured area that would discourage similar jailbreaks from occurring.
Although North Cotabato District Jail is just a stone’s throw away from the Provincial Police Office, this did not prevent the armed men from raiding the facility leading to the escape of 158 inmates and killed one jail warden.
Investigations added several inmates were the target of the rescue operations that was launched on Wednesday by an alleged armed group.
The NCDJ has also been attacked thrice already since 2007.
According to Roncesvalles, the NCDJ has been housing several high-profile inmates such as members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, Moro Islamic Liberation Front and other suspects in previous bombing incidents in the province.
“Space also matters now aside from security issues because the district jail that is only intended for 300 inmates but is now catering 1,513 prisoners,” Roncesvalles said, adding that the facility lacks equipment and human resources.
He added that the provincial jail was not originally designed to be a prison facility, and it was just renovated to serve such purpose.
“In the past, they say, it is not intended for a jail facility. It was designed to be a school,” Roncesvalles explained.
The current facility is situated in a provincial government compound in Kidapawan City, North Cotabato.
However, Roncesvalles said transporting inmates to a new jail poses another significant risk as some prisoners might take advantage of the situation and escape again.
“As much as we [wardens] would want to build a new facility to relocate to a larger and safer site, the bureau does not have the funds to do so,” he added.
