Bacolod City District jail warden, Chief Insp. Amelito Fuentes, was relieved from his post a day after several detainees staged a noise barrage Wednesday and went on a hunger strike in protest against his alleged inhumane treatment of them.

Effective yesterday, Fuentes was temporarily assigned to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology in Region 6. He was replaced by Chief Insp. Samuel Abaygar, a former BJMP warden in Brgy. Handumanan, Bacolod City.

Fuentes told the DAILY STAR in a phone interview yesterday that he received an order from the Regional Office asking for his relief to avoid future trouble between him and the inmates. He said he respects the decision of the BJMP regional director and will accept whatever post is assigned to him.

Some inmates of the Bacolod District Jail carried placards and banged doors of their cells to express their grievances against Fuentes Wednesday.

Earlier, Fuentes and his personnel had conducted a greyhound inspection, where they recovered about P59,000 from two detainees, 18 sacks of rice, refrigerators, welding machines and cellphones among others.

Bacolod City police director Senior Supt. Pedro Merced yesterday, said Fuentes did his job effectively. And what was big amount of cash, cellphones and welding machines doing in the jail? Merced asked. He said he would like Fuentes to remain in his post if he were asked.

Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia yesterday he has ordered Executive Assistant Cresencio Palo to monitor the condition of the inmates and report to him the real situation there.

If the items recovered from the jail were, indeed, contrabands, then we should apply the law, Leonardia said.*DMG

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