From a measly P70 a day last year, the prisoners’ subsistence allowance (PSA) at the Pangasinan Provincial Jail (PPJ) here is now P120 a day.

The implementation of PSA increase was ordered by Gov. Ramon Guico 3rd last month.

It marked the second increase since last year under Guico who also ordered an increase of P30 a day to make it P100 a day upon his ascent to power.

Provincial jail chief Lovell Dalisay said the 248 inmates at the provincial jail conveyed their gratitude to the governor.

The new food allowance of the Pangasinan inmates is easily the highest compared to the daily food allowance being enjoyed by inmates at the Bureau of Corrections’ (Bucor) New Bilibid Prison, and in the provincial jails of La Union, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Bulacan, Albay, Negros Oriental, Benguet and Aurora, Dalisay said.

The Pangasinan Provincial Jail is managed by the provincial government.

The PSA in the jails managed by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and BuCor remains at ₱70 per day.

The BJMP has recently asked Congress to increase the PSA and a ₱15 daily budget for the medicine of their inmates, saying the current daily budget is no longer sufficient.

Aside from the increase in meal allowance, the Provincial Health Office also conducts regular medical and dental missions at the provincial jail to ensure that the inmates are healthy.

At present, 59 inmates are enrolled in the Department of Education’s Alternative Learning System, including 21 in the elementary level.

Guico said the Pangasinan government’s Provincial Employment Services Office will also conduct a community-based skills training on basic electrical troubleshooting and basic carpentry repair next month.

Dalisay, meanwhile, reported that the Pangasinan Provincial Jail has no recorded escape of inmates, nor has anyone under its watch been cited for contempt of court.

Dalisay added that the PPJ also has 100 percent compliance on the courts’ orders, and that none of its programs has been flagged by the Commission on Audit.