The Quezon City Council has ratified an agreement between the city government and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology designating a portion of the city’s property in Payatas as the site the new Quezon City Jail.
City Resolution 7077-2017, introduced by Councilors Alexis Herrera and Franz Pumaren, ratified the Deed of Usufruct entered into by and between the city government and the BJMP for the use of a 2.4-hectare property, which Quezon City acquired in 2015.
The Deed of Usufruct was signed in August last year by Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista and Chief Supt. Serafin P. Barreto Jr., director of the BJMP, which exercises administrative and operational control of the Quezon City Jail.
Under the usufruct agreement, BJMP will be responsible for the construction of the buildings, structures, facilities and improvements on the property. Also included in the master plan are the provisions for a health center, drug rehabilitation facility, fire station, food establishments and lodging area for visitors.
In 2012, BJMP received a P200 million allocation for the construction of a new jail to replace the existing facility in Kamuning, but the amount was reverted to the national treasury.
The new jail in Payatas is expected to accommodate 6,000 to 8,000 inmates.
The present jail, which was originally rated to accommodate 600 to 800 inmates, has become the symbol of the sorry state of detention facilities in the country after images of detainees in jampacked conditions hogged international headlines.
The jail in Kamuning housed close to 3,000 detainees at the peak of its congestion.
Early this year, Mayor Bautista urged the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and BJMP to expedite the construction of the new city jail in Payatas.
“We are very serious in our efforts to relocate the inmates in a facility that is compliant with human rights standards. While this is a national project, the local government is very dedicated and committed to support the BJMP with their initiatives to improve jail conditions. We hope the BJMP will do its share,” Mayor Bautista said.