QUEZON City Mayor Herbert Bautista on Thursday called on Local Government Secretary Ismael Sueno and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology director Serafin Barretto to fast-track the construction of a new city jail in Barangay Payatas.
During the city’s recent peace and order council meeting, Bautista underscored the need to prioritize the development of the 3.4-hectare property acquired by the city government to stem the decongestion problem at the city jail located in Barangay Kamuning along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue.
The acquisition of the property was authorized by an ordinance passed by the City Council.
Bautista said he saw the need to transfer the old city jail, as its location “has been surpassed and overwhelmed by the development in the area,” and therefore considered “strategically inconvenient and disadvantageous” to its neighboring areas and the entire city as well.
On April 22, 2015, Bautista and the registered property owner, M.S. Florendo and Sons Inc., made a deed of absolute sale for the acquisition of the property in Payatas.
BJMP-National Capital Region will oversee the construction of the new jail facility, the mayor said.
There are 3,884 male detainees at the Quezon City Jail.
The P200-million budget to put up the new jail was incorporated in the BJMP’s 2012 budget, but was scrapped. Jail officials said they would need to submit another request to be able to finance the construction.
A year after the contract signing, the BJMP failed to build the facility due to lack of budget allocation.
In a previous interview, Chief Supt. Michael Vidamo, then chief of the BJMP-National Capital Region, said despite the approval, the construction of a new jail must wait for some time “due to the non-availability of funds.”
“We are very serious in our efforts to relocate the inmates in a facility that is compliant to human rights standards,” Bautista said. “While this is a national project, the local government is very dedicated and committed to support the BJMP with their initiatives to improve jail conditions. We hope the BJMP will do its share.”