THE Bureau of Jail Management and Penology Cordillera (BJMP) is eyeing a proposed P476.4 million jail facility to be put up in a city-owned lot to relocate the current male and female dorms of the BJMP, in a bid to accommodate increasing numbers of persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).
Jail Superintendent Mary Ann Tresmanio said that the BJMP Cordillera office has proposed the P476 million project to the BJMP national headquarters, which is now in the process of allocating funds from the General Appropriations Act (GAA) for fiscal year 2023.
The move has taken its first steps forward, with the city entering into an usufruct agreement with the BJMP for the relocation and construction of new dormitories for the Baguio jails on March 11.
The proposed site for use is a roughly 3,853 square-meter lot in Barangay San Luis along the Baguio – Asin Road.
Under the agreement with the BJMP and the proposal, the intention is to perform a proper expansion of the jail facilities as the jailed population in the city is increasing.
The current jail facilities of the city are in the headquarters of the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO)’s headquarters in the central business district, which is heavily congested and cannot be expanded to accommodate new PDLs due to lack of space.
According to Tresmanio, the goal is for the project to be funded by next year in order to relocate the jail population into a space that can not only accommodate more PDLs but also other facilities and activities that can help PDLs develop skills and knowledge while in jail.
