The construction of the new P1Billion Davao City Jail facility in Barangay Wangan, Calinan is expected to commence on the last quarter of this year.
J/Supt. Grace Taculin, Davao City jail warden revealed that by next week, a memorandum of agreement between the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and the Department of Public Works and Highways will be signed so that the bidding for the project will start next month.
Warden Taculin said that a total of P 236 million worth of initial funding is readily available for the new jail’s facilities while another P 49 million has been allocated for the construction of its perimeter fence.
Out of the eight-hectare lot in Wangan, Calinan donated by Louella Garcia, three hectares will be intended for the jail building and five hectares for the organic farming land including a proposed sports dome.
“We will have a state of the art facility intended for inmates na gusto gyud ug kabag-ohan sa ilahang kinabuhi,” Taculin told the PNP-AFP press conference on Wednesday.
The new jail facility will accommodate up to 5,000 inmates, addressing the overcrowding problem of the present Davao City Jail in Ma-a.
According to Taculin, the present Davao City Jail houses 3,907 inmates but the ideal capacity of the facility could only cater 300 people, constituting a 1,006% congestion.
High-risk prisoners, elderly and those with health problem will remain at the Ma-a City Jail.
She also said that among the total number of inmates, 2,037 are detained for drug-related cases.
