Transfer of QC jail to Payatas eyed

Authorities are eyeing the transfer of the Quezon City Jail from its present site in Kamuning to a government property in Payatas.

Deputy warden Chief Inspector Kaye del Rosario said this would address the congestion problem in the jail, with its present population of 3,028 detainees, a figure that is way beyond its capacity of less than 1,000.

According to Del Rosario, the five-hectare government property in Payatas would accommodate the inmates, who are currently crowded in the Kamuning site, which is less than a hectare.

He said Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. has expressed support for the proposal.

Senior Inspector Darwin Agullo, the city jail’s chief of operations, said the Office of the President has even pledged P90 million for the construction of the new structure.

However, Agullo revealed that private entities owning patches of land in between the government land in Payatas have refused to give up their properties. Del Rosario said negotiations are underway to address this issue.

Meanwhile, Agullo said that apart from the property in Payatas, they are also eyeing another site at the boundary of Quezon City and San Mateo, Rizal or the property of the Girl Scouts situated just beside the present city jail that could be used for the extension of the present structure.