By Dominic B. dela Cruz
Staff reporter
Batac City—A new old face.
This is the best way to described newly appointed Batac jail warden J/Sr. Insp. Antonio Sapaden.
Mr. Sapaden earlier served as acting jail officer in this city. He was also a former regional admin officer and deputy jail warden in Laoag City.
He succeeds J/Sr. Insp. Jerry Palalay who will retire in July.
Mr. Sapaden actually became the full-pledged Batac city jail warden on May 16, 2016.
New female dorm and male dorm expansion
With the beginning of his reign, Mr. Sapaden said the jail dormitories will be increased and expanded.
He is hopeful the new female dormitory will be finished soon. The male dormitory expansion, on the other hand, is still under construction.
The expansion, Mr. Sapaden explained is due to the increasing number of inmates. As of this posting, the Batac jail holds 190 inmates. Currently, the Batac jail complex has five cells for male and two cells for females.
The Batac jail caters to the towns of Badoc, Currimao, Pinili, Paoay and Batac.
Lack of water supply
MR. Sapaden also said they are facing lack of water difficulties. Though this has been a perennial problem, jail officials have yet to find the right solution.
He said they tried digging a well but there was no water available. To solve the problem temporarily, the jail van is being used to ferry water from outside sources.
He said they have already sought the assistance of Ilocos Norte Governor Maria Imelda “Imee” R. Marcos to help them with this problem.
He added that this problem is known to the Bureau of Jail Management central office; however, no action has been taken as of press time.
Use of cellphone
Mr. Sapaden also revealed that inmates here are allowed to use the BJMP cellphone to contact their relatives, legal counsels and other loved ones.
He explained that this is their communication privilege. He however, stressed that the cellphone is used under strict supervision by jail officials.
He also clarified that inmates can only call following a strict schedule. Only one phone is available for their use.