• RICHARD T. CABALLERO JR.
The Negros Occidental District Jail (NODJ)-Male Dormitory in Barangay Tabunan, Bago City is on heightened alert status after the authorities recovered four sachets of suspected shabu and two units of smartphones inside the detention center during two-day greyhound operations on November 18 and 20.
BJMP-NIR Spokesperson Atty. Juniven Umadhay said in an interview that on the first operation on November 18, a sachet of shabu, five cellular phones, and an improvised knife were recovered inside the cells. In another surprise operation on November 20, three sachets of shabu hidden inside a sock, while an iPhone and a charger were recovered in the same cell.
However, Umadhay stressed that the possible owners of the contraband are yet to be identified.
“We are still looking for various possibilities on how these contraband entered. But one thing we are sure of is that phones were never allowed; it was not lawful, and these are contraband,” he stressed, citing that the contraband can be used to transact illegal and criminal activities outside the detention facility.
The management of the facility has directed all jail guards within the area to submit their explanations to determine further the possible entrance path of the illegal items.
“We are looking at the possibility that the items were entered or thrown inside through our perimeter walls, but all angles are being investigated,” he added.
Umadhay further said that if a certain PDL is found guilty of being the possessor of the said items, he will be liable for criminal charges in violation of RA9165, adding that “administratively, it will affect their good conduct points, which will allow them to stay longer inside the facility.”
The surprise greyhound operation was carried out after the authorities received information from the intelligence unit that illegal drugs and other contraband had been sneaked inside the detention facility.
The same facility was placed under heightened alert when the persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) staged a noise barrage on August 28, calling for the replacement of Jail Warden Major Crisysrel Awe, who voluntarily stepped down but was later reinstated.
“We want to make sure that we can get rid of all contraband, because if we really want to make the NODJ a facility where we can implement all rehabilitation programs for all our prisoners,” Umadhay said, citing that “if the jail was under the threat of weapons and illegal drugs, we cannot achieve our rehabilitation goal.”*
