A total of 500 inmates arrived at the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm (IPPF) in Puerto Princesa, Palawan on Wednesday night, June 28, aboard a commercial vessel.
They are part of the first batch of over 2,500 individuals deprived of liberty (PDLs) from the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City that will be moved to the penal prison.
Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang, who oversaw the transport of the PDLs, said the move is part of the bureau's decongestion program, a five-year plan to eventually close the NBP and send PDLs to different prison farms across the nation.
In a press briefing, Catapang said that they are hopeful to bring all the inmates to the NBP from this year until 2028 since Muntinlupa has become more of a commercial facility than a prison facility.
This is in line with BuCor’s regionalization process, where a PDL will be sent to a facility of his origin, he added.
Catapang went on to say that the effort is part of President Bongbong Marcos' Philippine Development Plan, which calls for the rehabilitation of all PDLs to be expedited.
In the same press conference, the Superintendent of the IPPF C/CInsp. Gary Garcia stated that the 450 male PDLS would be distributed to IPPF's sub-colonies in Inagawan, Iwahig, and Montible, while the 50 females would be held in the newly converted Correctional Institution for Women (CIW), formerly the Sta. Sub-colony of Lucia.
Catapang also stated that, following a recent meeting with the Department of Social Welfare and Development, BuCor would close the CIW in Mandaluyong City due to overcrowding and the city's transformation into a commercial center.
With the arrival of 2,500 PDLs, the penitentiary complex will require at least 300 additional personnel, he added.
Catapang also stated that the initiative to reimplement the Barrio Libertad program in Iwahig would be pursued.
He stated that he expects Barrio Libertad to open as soon as possible.
