Negros Occidental jail warden steps down after PDLs protest
BACOLOD CITY - The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology-Negros Island Region (BJMP-NIR) has designated Jail Senior Insp. Raymund Aro as officer-in-charge of the Negros Occidental District Jail (NODJ) in Barangay Tabunan, Bago City, after Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) staged an eight-hour protest over unfair treatment on Thursday, Aug. 28.
JAIL authorities negotiate as Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) at the Negros Occidental District Jail (NODJ) in Barangay Tabunan, Bago City stage a protest on Thursday. ( PRO-NIR)
Aro replaced jail warden Jail Chief Insp. Crisyrel Awe, who voluntarily stepped down from his position, according to Jail Senior Insp. Juniven Rey Umadhay, BJMP-NIR spokesperson.
Umadhay said the move aims to restore order in the jail while investigation is ongoing. He added that this will also maintain normalcy and ensure the safety of the PDLs and the personnel.
Aro is the concurrent operations chief of BJMP-NIR, according to Umadhay.
Umadhay said the protest ended peacefully at 4:30 p.m. after negotiations led by Senior Supt. Mary Rose Laguyo, assistant regional director for administration of BJMP-NIR, and Supt. Ruth Estales, assistant regional director of operations of BJMP-NIR.
He said that Jail Chief Supt. Brendan Fulgencio, BJMP-NIR director, is set to visit the jail after the incident.
The noise barrage started at 8:15 a.m., calling for the ouster of Awe, following the imposition of stricter protocols inside the facility.
The tightened security measures, according to the BJMP, were imposed to address security threats after a gun was thrown over the jail on Aug. 24 and an earlier attempt on the life of a jail officer.
Umadhay did not disclose the next assignment of Awe but he will be at the regional bureau.