The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) has constructed a new detention facility here to address jail congestion.

The detention facility is a PHP37-million, four-storey building constructed on a one-hectare lot donated by the Department of Agriculture here.

The new district jail can accommodate between 1,000 to 1,500 inmates. It has fourty cells that can accommodate 25 detainees each with bed bunks.

The new facility is intended to uplift the living condition of 593 inmates, which are presently detained at the 17-year-old district jail.

“I am glad that the new facility is completed,” said Governor Wilter Palma, who led the inauguration of the new detention facility on Tuesday.

Palma said the new facility will also prevent the spread of ailments among inmates aside from addressing the congestion.

Joining the inauguration were Senior Supt. Johnson Calub, BJMP regional director, and guests from Provincial Prosecutor’s Offices, Public Attorney’s Office, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

The completion of the new facility will bring congestion to zero percent and improve services to visitors.

The construction of the new district jail was funded by the BJMP central office.

The BJMP has allocated some PHP2.9 billion to construct additional detention facilities to decongest the country’s jails. (PNA)