Public urged to provide care for poor prisoners

CEBU - The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology-7 celebrates the National Correction Consciousness Month in coordination with the church which also celebrates the Prison Awareness Week this month.

United in the theme “Your love is my light, guide and strength,” the celebration will address the longing of prisoners for love and attention which they seldom get inside the prison.

John Buban, BJMP chaplain, chief inspector, and at the same time information officer, said this year’s correction consciousness celebration aims at calling the public to extend some form of care to these persons considered the “poorest of the poor.”

Buban said the public should be aware that prisoners exist needing some attention from them even in simple things like donating clothes or conducting visitations.

He said these people actually have so many needs like paralegal services because most of the prisoners come from poor families who could not afford to pay for professional services.

He said that inmates need lawyers who will do a follow-up on their case especially for those who have committed simple offenses but whose cases have not progressed due to lack of legal actions.

Buban said that 50 to 70 percent of total prisoners in the region need paralegal assistance.

In observance of the celebration, a series of activities has already been lined up. For Mandaue City Jail, the prison awareness week celebration will be held from October 18 to 26.

MCJ warden Chief Supt. Simeon Dolojo said they will open the week with a Holy Mass and a motorcade to raise public awareness. There will also be medical and dental missions, and free legal assistance for inmates.

Dolojo said they are happy for the support they are receiving from the city government of Mandaue. Just last week, he said, the mayor announced the approval of funding for the construction of a parameter fence and a wall that would separate male from female inmates seen to improve the security in the said facility.

MCJ has a capacity of housing 400 inmates only, but is currently having 678 inmates on 1,700-square-meter land.

Dolojo said that for quite a long time now, the limited space of the said facility has always been a top concern. Such results in congestion, he added.

However, Dolojo said that the good news is that the meal allocation per prisoner has increased from P40 to P60 since the city and other local government units have pledged to donate the additional P20 per inmate.

Right now, they are requesting for a more spacious lot where they could transfer since their stay at the current location is only temporary as the land is privately owned.

Further, Dolojo said that still the MCJ has insufficient budget for the inmates for other concerns like health. – Jessica Ann R. Pareja/MEEV (THE FREEMAN)