BJMP Proposal To Build Metro Manila Integrated Jail Lauded

Above, Chief Supt. Antonio Cruz, head of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, briefs senior government officials on the proposed Metro Manila Integrated Jail in San Mateo , Rizal province. (Belcie Agustin)

MANILA (Belcie Agustin / 04 Jul) Secretary Ronaldo V. Puno, of the Interior and Local Government, lauded Tuesday the proposed construction of the Metro Manila Integrated Jail (MMIJ) as envisioned by senior officials of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology headed by its former chief, Arturo W. Alit, now DILG Consultant on Jail Matters.

Chief Supt. Antonio Cruz, BJMP officer-in-charge, said Secy. Puno was regularly updated with the progress of the proposed jail project.

He said the jail construction will begin once President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo issue a Presidential Proclamation awarding the 96 hectares in the village of Pintong Bukawe in San Mateo town in Rizal province.

The President needs to approve also the release of an initial P300 million to start the “horizontal development program” of the project.

The MMIJ project will hold the 21 National Capitol Region jail facilities, the BJMP offices and housing units for personnel and their families. The project envisions creating a community with social amenities for sports and recreations, hospital, school, courts, inns for visitors, livelihood facilities and a secured farm to raise crops and livestock, Cruz said.

“The project will have moral and spiritual impact as this would make inmates’ treatment more humane, uplift their living condition, and mainly to resolve the perennial problem of jail congestion,” he said.

But Cruz lamented the congestion in NCR jails. At present, he said, NCR jails can only accommodate around 5,300 inmates, but the current population now is more than 20,000.

The provision of courtrooms within the MMIJ compound will expedite disposition of inmates’ cases, reduce security risks and the expenses incurred in transporting inmates for hearing, he said.

“With secured vast land, jails could be transformed from cost centers to production units providing inmates opportunities for livelihood and to earn,” Cruz said.

Since its conception in 1994, the BJMP already set up the groundwork of the project which include, among others, blueprint and physical layout, resource requirements, sectoral representation, and the passing of House Bill No. 3079 and Senate Bill No. 1984.

The Bill is also known as “An Act Amending Section 63 of RA No. 6975, by inserting thereto a paragraph providing for the establishment of an integrated jail facility in Metro Manila and other highly urbanized cities in the country."

The Senate and House Technical Working Group have completed their deliberations on the proposed bills and are now in the process of drafting the Final Committee Reports.

Cruz said NCR mayors have expressed support to the project. Their commitment was in compliance with Section 33 of Republic Act 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991 which provides that “Local government units may, through ordinances, group themselves, consolidate or coordinate their efforts, services and resources for purposes beneficial to them.”

The mayors of Malabon and Parañaque cities have also expressed their support to the project through a Memorandum of Understanding forged with BJMP. Other mayors are also expected to sign their MOU.

Both Cruz and Alit expressed confidence that the MMIJ will be realized soon, stressing that they have already coordinated with the San Mateo Municipal Council which signified willingness to host the project.

Cruz said they have also coordinated with the National Housing Authority to tackle the housing component of the project and that they were also working to comply with other NHA requirements.