By ELENA L. ABEN
Interior and Local Government Secretary Jose Lina Jr. has ordered the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) to step up security in all district, city, and municipal jails nationwide to prevent the occurrence of jailbreaks following the incident in Basilan on Saturday where 36 suspected Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) members bolted the provincial penitentiary after killing two jailguards.
DILG Undersecretary for Peace and Order (USPO) Marius Corpus, acting on instruction of Secretary Lina, also directed BJMP chief Director Arturo Alit to intensify its drive against bladed weapons and contrabands inside district, municipal, and city jails.
Corpus strictly told Alit not to leave anything to chance.
He said all district, city, and municipal jail wardens should double their efforts in ensuring the security of their jails to prevent jailbreaks and other similar and/or related incidents in the future.
Corpus said that while the Basilan provincial jail does not fall within the jurisdiction of the BJMP, the jailbreak that took place Saturday should serve as a wake-up call for the bureau and all its wardens nationwide to heighten the security in district, city, and municipal jails nationwide.
He explained that under Republic Act 6975, or the law which created the Philippine National Police (PNP) under a reorganized DILG, the BJMP has jurisdiction only over district, city, and municipal jails, while provincial jails fall under the jurisdiction of provincial governments.
Corpus likewise told Alit that Oplan Greyhound, or the drive against bladed weapons and contrabands, should be conducted more often to ensure that bladed and improvised weapons do not get their way into the jails and into the hands of inmates.
