COMPOSTELA Valley Provincial Warden Jose Marvin Coquilla said after 19 years of freely staying in Barangay Mankilam, Tagum City, they could most possibly transfer next year.
He said the P30-million bank loan meant to fund the transfer and to complete the new provincial jail in the 4-hectare land in Barangay Santa Maria, Nabunturan, Compostela Valley.
“The provincial government has been all moving things so we with more than 600 detainees could finally transfer next year,” Coquilla said.
Aside from the bank loan, the provincial government also infused P5 million from its general fund, now being used in the construction of the administration building, kitchen and powerhouse, he added.
For this, he profusely thanked the leadership of the Uys, current Gov. Tyron Uy and past Governor and now senior Board Member Arturo “Chiongkee” Uy.
The Compostela Valley Provincial Rehabilitation Center is using the old jailing facilities and land side by side with the provincial jail of Davao del Norte inside the provincial Capitol complex since the carving out of Compostela Valley from the erstwhile undivided Davao del Norte in 1998.
The two provincial jails are bounded only by barbed wires but with the same main gate with their respective sentry guard houses facing at each other.
The Compostela Valley provincial jail has over 20 high-profile communist detainees.
Compostela Valley’s provincial detainees have to be motored by provincial guards about 50 kilometers from Mankilam to Regional Trial Court in poblacion Nabunturan during court hearings.
There was one instance toward the mid-2000s that New People’s Army rebels daringly sprang out their jailed comrade who was on transit for a court hearing at the zigzag section of the national highway between Mawab town and Tagum City.