Lina, Belmonte lead jail clean-up drive

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jose Lina Jr. and Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte spearheaded yesterday the start of a clean-up drive against the spread of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in the city through an ocular inspection of the Quezon City jail.

Belmonte and Lina supervised the cleaning of surroundings, interiors, canals and drainage of the city jail in Kamuning, Cubao, Quezon City. Lina said the clean-up will also be carried out by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in all city and municipal jails in the country.

The DILG chief said he has directed BJMP officer-in-charge Senior Superintendent Antonio Cruz to carry out the drive in accordance with President Arroyo’s recent proclamation of May 5-9 as national anti-SARS consciousness and clean-up week.

"Most of our city and municipal jails in Metro Manila and other regions are congested, and under such congestion inmates are susceptible to all kinds of illness, so it is necessary for our jails to have a clean environment," he said.

During the inspection, the DILG chief instructed Cruz to brief inmates on the prevention and control of SARS. Leaflets and brochures on SARS were also distributed to inmates.

As to the problem of congestion, Lina renewed his call to Congress as well as to city and municipal mayors for budgetary support to improve jail facilities at the local level.

The DILG chief lauded Belmonte for spearheading a barangay clean-up campaign, which kicked off in Barangay Krus na Ligas in Quezon City.

Three million anti-SARS flyers were distributed by the DILG in Metro Manila barangays. In Quezon City, 800,000 flyers were distributed in Barangays Pag-asa and Bago Bantay as well as in commercial areas on Congressional Avenue.

The DILG earlier issued a memorandum to all governors, city and municipal mayors to undertake clean-up activities under the anti-SARS drive.

Meanwhile, Metro police chief Deputy Director General Reynaldo Velasco directed the district directors in Metro Manila to closely coordiante with Metro mayors and barangay officials to initiate cleanliness campaigns as part of the government’s over-all efforts to stop the spread of the SARS virus.

Velasco said the campaign is in line with the Pulis Malinis program of the Metro Manila police, wherein personnel of the National Capital Region Police Office eare encouraged not only work toward the maintenance of peace and order but also engage in a drive to promote cleanliness in the community and care for the environment.

"The district directors and station commanders should start the campaign in their headquarters and subsequently implement cleanliness drives with the local government officials in the communities down to the barangays," he said.

President Arroyo had included the containment of SARS among the most pressing concerns in the country following the death of at least three people from the virus.

"This way, we are launching an offensive against the virus instead of relying on reactive approaches to the problem. As the Department of Health has been emphasizing, the best and only way to beat SARS is through cleanliness," Velasco said.