URDANETA CITY— What better way to remind persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) of the Duterte administration’s unrelenting campaign against illegal drugs than to invoke the President’s name 24/7.

Oplan RODY is rallying point to curb illegal drug use and trade inside the facility.

J/Chief Inspector Roque Constante Sison III, jail warden of BJMP in this city, said Oplan RODY stands for Removal and punishment of scalawags and personnel/officers involved in illegal drug trade and corruption, Offensive operations versus illegal drugs inside jail facilities, Decongestion of jails and disbandment of inmates’ gangs protecting drug lords and Yes to discipline and control of inmates through effective classification and segregation of inmates and of unified jail system.

Sison said of the facility’s 912 PDLs, also known as detainees, 70 percent are facing drug cases.

He said the number of inmates charged for drugs became “bloated” because of the Duterte administration’s all-out war campaign that prompted series of police operations against identified drug personalities.

He said the number of their PDLs used to be up to 500 only when he assumed as warden here in January 2016 then suddenly rose to 900.

But Sison said they still make life of PDLs inside their detention cells easier by adopting the motto, “Sa bilangguan man ay langit din (Even in jail, it’s still heaven)”.

He said the BJMP-Urdaneta has its own commissary where PDLs’ needs could be bought at supermarket price, the inmates are able to move around comfortably.

Aside from spiritual awakening done by various religious groups, wellness development activities are part of their routine, he added.

He said livelihood programs like portrait painting, cake, soap, tambo (soft broom), paper-mache making are part of the activities the PDLs are involved with for extra income.

In coordination with the Technical Education Skills Development Authority, short term courses are offered where they had their graduates of reflexology, massage, haircutting, electronics courses. The program is ongoing.

At present, about 308 of them are enrolled in Alternative Learning System for basic literacy, elementary and secondary schooling.

To deter illegal drug use and trading inside the facility, jail guards employ rigid search procedures on visitors of PDLs., regular random drug testing among the PDLs and BJMP personnel every quarter, Oplan Galugad for searches in their PDLs’ dormitories is done twice a week, Sison said.

PDLs facing drug cases are separated from the other inmates facing other charges. (Eva Visperas)

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments