CEBU, Philippines — No drugs were confiscated during the latest surprise jail inspection conducted by authorities in the Cebu City Jail in Barangay Kalunasan yesterday dawn. However, it seems another commodity is fast becoming an item in demand; cigarettes.
Jail warden Renante Rubio said 13 mobile phones and several packs of cigarettes were confiscated in a joint inspection with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas.
“The good thing is wala ta’y drugs nakuha karon. Atong intelligence reports, mas kusog ang sigarilyo tungod sa mas dako og halin, niminos kay atong gibawal,” he said.
He added that the demand for cigarettes has increased, and with only a little supply one stick can cost up to P120 in the jail instead of its regular price outside which is only around P10.
He said people employ different methods to get cigarettes into the jail, some inmates connive with outsiders who try to throw them over the wall while sometimes inmates “fish” for them from outside using strings or sticks.
“Ang bag-ong modus mao ang fishing, fishing is that, ang kontrabando, higtan nila, tapos birahon sa taas, may contact na sila sa ubos nga nagpaabot, ilang ihikot ang cigarette,” he said.
He said that they have placed security personnel to man the facility outside. He said despite the security deployed, the conspirators outside are elusive and always find the timing and the spot to sneak in cigarettes.
“Ang atong gibuhat nagbutang ta og tawo sa ubos aron mabantayan nato, pero kaning mag tawo, dakop-dakop ta ani, not 24 hours nga naa ta tawo, so adto sila motira kung wala nay tawo,” he said.
He said that over time they have implemented different policies to stop contrabands from being sneaked inside. He said they have put up cyclone wires and netted buildings so that it won’t be easy to throw things from one building to another or from the outside.
“Ang priso nag-innovate bisan unsa atong buhaton mangita na sad o gani kato ilang modus nga mga bata ang pasudlon, nahibal-an na, nagpaabot ko may daghan pang paagi ang buhaton, pero sige lang magbantay lang mi sa bag-o nga mga modus aron amo na pud maagapan,” he said. —BRP (FREEMAN)