CONSTRUCTION of three new buildings for the Davao City Female Jail (DCFJ) in Maa is 70 percent complete and is expected to be finished within this year.
During the Kapehan sa Dabaw at The Annex of SM City Davao Monday, June 17, 2019, assistant warden Jail Inspector Sweety Jel Roullo said the P40-million structure will decongest the existing facility.
The jail, which was built for 180 persons, currently has a total population of 369 Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDL). Eight of 10, or 80 percent, are facing drug-related cases.
Funding for the new buildings, donated by First District Representative Karlo Nograles, was sourced from his congressional funds.
Roullo added that to ease the problem, they are implementing the plea bargaining framework wherein those who were caught with possession of very small quantities of shabu, marijuana, and other illegal drugs can avail this under the new Supreme Court ruling to plead guilty to reduce jail sentences and lower fines.
Jail Office 1 Michelle Yian said that based on their data from April to June, there are already a total of 19 PDLs who were released after their plea was approved while evaluation is still ongoing for pending application of other PDLs involved in illegal drugs.
In 2018, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP 11) bared that the Davao City Jail Female Dormitory has the second highest congestion rate in the region which previously housed a total of 567 PDLs.
