A NEW penitentiary that can house 5,000 inmates will be built in an 8-hectare area in Calinan, Davao City to address the congestion in jails in the Davao Region. Harvey G. Malnegro, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology-Davao (BJMP) Jail Officer 2, told the media that project construction, which will be handled by the Department of Public Works and Highways, is planned to start within the first quarter of 2018. The facility will have a three-storey building, solar power equipment, and an organic vegetable garden for the inmates. “To make it sustainable, (food for the) inmates would be organic from the garden,” Mr. Malnegro said. He added that they are also eyeing to replicate existing projects at the Davao City Jail such as a court room where trials can be held and the ‘College behind Bars’ education program. Meanwhile, Jail Inspector and Community Relations Service Office chief Edo B. Lobenia said they are hiring about 1,000 new officers and employees to improve the officer-prisoner ratio. As of Sept. 2017, BJMP-Davao has 394 officers while the jail population is 6,898. — Maya M. Padillo

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