Consolacion to build new jail facility

Local

WITH detainees packed into cells far beyond their intended capacity, the local government of Consolacion has begun construction on a new jail facility in Barangay Panas.

Consolacion Mayor Teresa Alegado led the groundbreaking ceremony on March 25, joined by officials from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), as part of efforts to ease overcrowding and improve conditions for persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).

The new municipal jail will be built on a 1.5-hectare lot donated by the local government. It is designed to house up to 500 inmates. Currently, the Consolacion municipal jail holds more than 300 detainees in a space originally intended for only 60.

The overcrowding has resulted in health concerns and mounting pressure to decongest the facility. Built beside the town’s police station, the existing jail lacks the space and resources needed for humane detention.

“I do not even want to see them. You know why? It pains me,” Alegado said, describing how inhumane the conditions have become.

Originally planned in 2020, construction was delayed due to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Alegado said the municipal government requested P300 million from the DILG, but the final approved funding was P184 million.

The budget cut removed plans for a sports facility, but the mayor said she was grateful that the request was granted, especially after years of delay.

BJMP Chief Superintendent Efren Nemeño, speaking on behalf of Director Ruel Rivera, said the new jail was an essential step in modernizing correctional facilities at the local level.

Rivera emphasized that the donation of the land was not only a gesture of support but also a recognition of the importance of proper jail infrastructure in the justice system.

Construction will be handled by 515 Life Construction Corporation, which plans to complete the facility within 360 days.

The complex will feature a two-story administrative building, a three-story accommodation building, and a single-story kitchen.

Multipurpose halls will be included to support rehabilitation and training programs.

Alegado said the local government has also set aside an adjacent hectare of land for agricultural use.

The area will serve as space for farming programs in coordination with the municipal agriculture office, allowing PDLs to plant crops and learn livelihood skills while serving their sentences.

The site in Barangay Panas was selected due to its remote and secure location. Alegado described the area as environmentally sound and free from the risks of infiltration. The lot was purchased by the municipal government for P6.5 million.

The project also responds to the growing burden on local jails as the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) has stopped accepting detainees from some municipalities. This has left towns like Consolacion to deal with overcrowding on their own.

Many of the detainees in Consolacion have not yet been convicted.

Alegado said some of them have remained locked up simply because they cannot afford bail or are still waiting for their court dates.

She believes that infrastructure alone is not enough, and urged BJMP to align its programs with the facility’s goals of genuine rehabilitation.

Once the new jail is completed, the old site beside the police station will be repurposed.

Alegado said the police station building, which was constructed in 1943, would be preserved for its heritage value while the remaining space would be expanded for law enforcement operations.

Alegado said jails are often neglected in government planning, but she believes that providing decent facilities reflects a community’s values.

Even those who have committed offenses, she said, deserve to be treated with dignity while serving their time.

"With me, I always take care of the oppressed," she added.(MyTVCebu)