The Baguio City Jail male dormitory is the first government facility in the city conferred the coveted Safety Seal certificate which affirms its compliance with the prevailing minimum public health standards set by the inter-agency task force for the management of emerging infectious diseases.
Jail Superintendent Mary Ann Tresmanio, warden of the Baguio City Jail male dorm, stated that because of the facility’s best practices in its Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) management, along with its other significant accomplishments, the jail facility bagged the major awards during the 30th regional Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) anniversary last August 2021.
The Baguio City Jail male dorm was adjudged the Best City Jail while Tresmanio was conferred the recognition as the Best City Jail Warden.
Further, JO3 Weyler M. Awingan was adjudged the Best Male Jail Non-Officer while SJO3 Racquel C. Tengay was cited as the Best Female Jail Non-Officer.
SJOE Tengay was also conferred the Best Jail Nurse and the Gawad Penolohiya Award in the national level.
Despite the implementation of the various levels of community quarantine over the past 20 months since the start of the Luzonwide lockdown, Tresmanio claimed that official transactions and services, including court hearings, have continued through the facility’s tele-hearing, e-legal consultation, e-Dalaw and webinar platforms for the development activities.
The jail facility is also vying for the Red Orchid Award of the Department of Health (DOH) which will be part of the list of awards to be conferred to the facility and its personnel over the past several years.
In relation to the conduct of the May 9, 2022 synchronized national and local elections, the facility management coordinated and facilitated the off-site registration of 156 PDLs who are qualified to vote with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Baguio field office on June 28, 2021.
Moreover, the facility’s compliance to the Philippine Identification System is also remarkable, according to Tresmanio, as on September 22, 2021, Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) personnel registered 66 personnel or 94.3 personnel and 323 PDLs or 98.2 percent inside the jail dorm with the strict enforcement of minimum health protocols strictly.
On the education of the PDLs, Tresmanio disclosed that the facility was able to produce 11 elementary and 19 high school graduates through the Alternative Learning system (ALS) despite the pandemic restrictions.
The jail officer appealed for continuous support for the facility’s after-care program to help the PDLs who are released from detention to build a social position of self-respect and to help them settle as law-abiding citizens when they rejoin society and for this, the jail facility is seeking legislative support for the adoption of an ordinance on non-discrimination of employment for former PDLs. By Dexter A. See