BUREAU of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Region 10 announced Tuesday that inmates, known as Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDL), now only have a budget of P70.00 for meals each day.
BJMP Regional Director Jail Chief Superintendent Cesar Langawin shared this information on July 30 during the Kapihan sa Philippine Information Agency (PIA) 10.
This budget, when divided among three meals, means each PDL only has P23.33 per meal, according to Langawin.
Last year, Langawin said, the daily meal budget was P120.00. However, the budget was cut to P70.00 due to an increase in the number of PDLs.
Cagayan de Oro City Jail now has over 3,000 PDLs in the male dormitory alone, making it one of the most populated jails in Mindanao.
Eighty percent of this population is related to drug cases or violations of RA 9165.
To manage their limited meal budget, the jail has started several initiatives.
"We are really saving a lot, doing backyard gardening to grow food for the inmates," Langawin told the media.
They also raise catfish (hito) as part of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to teach them how to properly raise catfish inside the facility.
Additionally, the facility has a bakery where inmates bake bread, which is then used as part of their meals.
"We have a bakery inside the jail, and our PDLs make the bread they eat," explained Langawin.
The Regional Director also stressed that no extortion is happening inside the facility now, thanks to higher salary grades for the staff.
"We encourage our jail officers, especially the younger ones, to continue their education," said Langawin.
"This way, they can get promotions and salary increases, which helps prevent them from getting involved in extortion or any activities that would harm the jail's credibility."
