Pasay jail ready for 'high-ranking execs' accused in flood control mess —DILG

The Pasay City Jail is prepared for the possible detention of government personnel with Salary Grade 26 and below who are implicated in the flood control corruption case, the Department of the Interior and Local Government said Thursday.

“I want to assure the public that the DILG, the government, and the country are ready to apprehend, contain, and deliver justice to the Filipino people. We are ready,” DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla said after his inspection.

“If they are indicted in court, they will be placed here as regular inmates,” he added.

According to the DILG, the Office of the Ombudsman and the courts have the jurisdiction to order the detention of the implicated government personnel.

Pasay City Jail currently holds 964 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs), with an ideal capacity of only 103 PDLs and a congestion rate of more than 800%.

Remulla pointed out that the flood control corruption perpetrators will be detained in regular cells without air conditioning, alongside ordinary PDLs.

“I gave strict instructions that no one is allowed to place an inmate in the warden’s office so they will be in the common cells,” he said.

Remulla noted that the PNP Custodial Center in Camp Crame will not be used for the detention of suspects in the flood control issue.

“There is no longer a La Cathedral, no longer a place for rich people to live inside the prison. I will not allow that. The law is the law and we will follow it, no matter how painful it gets for anyone,” he said.

He said the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) will conduct CCTV monitoring of jail personnel and operations to ensure transparency and prevent any special privileges.

Remula conducted the inspection at Pasay City Jail with BJMP chief Jail Director Ruel Rivera and other senior officials.

On Monday, Remulla also inspected the newly constructed Quezon City Jail - Male Dormitory along Payatas Road.

The Quezon City detention facility is also being readied for the possible detention of individuals involved in flood control corruption with Salary Grade 27 and up.

Remulla earlier said that the DILG is expecting 200 people allegedly involved in flood control corruption to be indicted in the next three weeks. —AOL, GMA Integrated News