BJMP Quirino to take over provincial jail

By Thelma C. Bicarme

Thursday 2nd of August 2012

CABARROGUIS, Quirino, August 2 (PIA)—The provincial government here headed by Gov. Junie E. Cua and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) will push through with the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) relative to the transfer or turnover of the management and control of the provincial jail to the BJMP.

Gov. Cua during the recent peace and order council meeting here said that it will be more advantageous on the part of the provincial government if BJMP will be the one to manage the jails so that the provincial government will be able to fund other projects and programs.

BJMP Quirino chief Gilbert Accad said that they will schedule a meeting with the provincial officials to discuss the guidelines in the takeover of the provincial jail.

The MOA will require provincial jails to be divided into two portions. One part will be converted to a District Jail, which shall be under the control and supervision of BJMP to accommodate all detention prisoners in the whole province with prior authority of the court.

The portion transferred shall be donated to BJMP shall be named District Jail and shall include the improvements including buildings, facilities, and all the equipments used in its operation.

The remaining small portion shall be retained as Provincial Jail which shall house all convicted provincial prisoners of the province to preclude violation of laws, as Provincial Jails were created by law and cannot be abolished by mere agreement.

The MOA also stipulates that until such time the inmates subsistence allowance and other maintenance cost can be incorporated in the budget of the BJMP, the Provincial Government shall provide the BJMP with the amount it is presently appropriating for the maintenance and operation of the Provincial Jail for the subsistence allowance of the inmates and maintenance and improvement of the jail facility including electric and water expenses.

As to the management of personnel, qualified personnel from the LGU may transfer to BJMP subject to the provision of R.A. 9263 or the "BFP and BJMP Professionalization Act of 2004" and the availability of equivalent rank items.

At present, the BJMP is being manned by 40 organic personnel, 25 of them are assigned in dual functions both custodial and escort services.

If the transfer of jail management will materialize, the provincial jail will be added to the two jails manned by the BJMP within the province, the Cabarroguis District Jail catering Cabarroguis, Diffun, Aglipay and Saguday and Maddela Municipal Jail which caters to the municipalities of Maddela and Nagtipunan. (TCB/PIA 2, Quirino)