HELP yourself first before we assist you.

This was the stance maintained by Mayor Alipio Fernandez Jr. and Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez on the problem of the overcrowded Dagupan City District Jail run by the Bureau of Jail and Penology (BJMP), a national agency.

Supt. Edgar Bolcio, the jail warden, earlier sought the help of the city government for the construction of an extension building to increase the capacity of the jail, originally built for 100 inmates but is now holding some 400 prisoners.

The district jail has been identified as the source of pollution of Tondaligan’s beach front, the city’s main tourism destination, with its inadequate sanitation system.

The mayor said the jail extension should be primarily funded by the BJMP, with the city government only providing assistance when necessary.

“For instance, it must be the BJMP that must spend for the dislodging of wastes from the jail’s overflowing septic tank but the fact is, it was the city that paid for the process,” Fernandez complained.

The city mayor also pointed out that while it was the city government that built the present jail in Bonuan and initially handled its management for a maximum of 34 prisoners, it has long since been turned over to BJMP for its management.

The mayor was reportedly irked when Bolcio, expecting the city government to provide the funding, presented to him a sketch plan for the proposed jail extension costing P6 to P8 million.

“We can only provide assistance because our mandate and obligation is to run the city, using its funds for programs and projects, and pay its obligations,” explained Fernandez, who has previously served as Interior and Local Government Undersecretary.

The district jail accommodates inmates from Dagupan and the towns of Mangaldan, San Fabian, San Jacinto, Calasiao, Sta. Barbara and Malasiqui.—LM

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