Five personnel of the Bureau of Jail Management Penology XI were relieved from their post for their alleged involvement in illegal drugs, according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) XI.
Among the five was Jail Chief Insp. Roman Hernandez who tested positive in the recent drug test.
“Actually, we have our own information aside from the information received by the Davao City Police Office. I think it would be preferably answered by the DCPO since our information is also different that led to the greyhound operation, “PDEA XI Chief Antonio Rivera said yesterday.
“Although our information was shared to them but their information is more intensive,” Rivera told reporters during the AFP-PNP press briefing yesterday held at the Royal Mandaya hotel.
He said the names of the BJMP personnel were given to BJMP director, Jail Sr. Supt. Amelia Rayandayan, for proper action.
“We learned later that the names given were reassigned from their post ,” Rivera said.
Jail Inspector Edo Lobenia, the spokesperson of BJMP XI, said if found guilty, the personnel will be charged by the BJMP with dismissal as a possibility.
“We are still conducting an investigation on the incident,” Lobenia said.
He said four of the five jail personnel were assigned to the national headquarters while waiting for the results of the investigation.
“They were relieved right after the greyhound operation last Saturday,” he added.
Meanwhile, Rivera also said that case for violation of RA 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002), particularly Sec. 12 for possession of drug paraphernalia and Sec. 15 for using drugs was already filed on Tuesday against Hernandez.
Hernandez reportedly told them that he had a supplier outside but he reiterated that he has nothing to do with the illegal drugs proliferating inside the jail.
“He just using it because he has a debilitating diabetes disease and somehow in taking shabu, it alleviates the pain,” he added.
“Based on our intelligence report, Jail Chief Insp. Roman Hernandez is not really involved in the selling of shabu inside the jail facility,” Lobenia added.
He said they conducted drug tests on more than 400 personnel and only Hernandez tested positive.
Security changes inside BJMP
Meanwhile, he said they are requesting an augmentation of personnel coming from the PNP to weed out the drug problem inside the penal system.
The DCPO has currently deployed one team to help jail personnel but he said they are requesting for another.
“At the same time the BJMP is very happy with the local government in establishing the ‘no contact policy,’” he said, adding that under this new rule, visitors will stay outside and just talk to their loved ones through the phone.
