By Jonathan Hicap
The land of New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa will be leased out to a private developer and will be transformed into a commercial area just like the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.
BuCor chief Nicanor Faeldon (right), flanked by Justice Usec. Deo Marco, talks to the media at the graduation ceremony of 472 newly-recruited corrections and technical officers held at NBP in Muntinlupa. (JONATHAN HICAP / MANILA BULLETIN)
This was the declaration of Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director Nicanor Faeldon as part of the government plan to transfer NBP prisoners and develop the land.
“We will lease it out as per the directives of the executive and legislative. We have the marching orders to really come up with a master development plan and to lease this out,” Faeldon said at the graduation ceremony of BuCor’s 472 newly-recruited corrections and technical officers on April 10 held at NBP Sunken Garden in Muntinlupa attended by several guests including Justice Usec. Deo Marco.
NBP prisoners will be transferred and the land will be cleared and leased out.
“We (NBP) will be moving out. Our PDLs (persons deprived of liberty) will be relocated. We are considering several places for the relocation but definitely in the next two to three years, we want to see the clearing of this facility and to transfer it to commercial,” he added.
Faeldon said the NBP land will be developed “just like BGC. Ang kaibahan lang ay hindi ito ibebenta kundi ipapa-lease lang.” Proceeds from the lease will be used to fund BuCor operations.
The NBP used to occupy more than 500 hectares of land. Large parts of it were developed into the Katarungan Village for Department of Justice employees and Southville 3 Housing Project, leaving more than 300 hectares to BuCor.
Currently, the NBP land houses homes for BuCor employees, educational facilities including the Itaas Elementary School, Muntinlupa National High School and Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Muntinlupa, several churches and historical sites.
Faeldon previously said they were eyeing the transfer of NBP prisoners to Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Occidental Mindoro.
BuCor recently implemented plans to remove illegal settlers in NBP and Faeldon said they have to do it as the NBP is considered a danger zone. Most of the illegal settlers are families of prisoners, he said.
The illegal settlers, numbering about 1,000 families, pose danger to the security of NBP, he said.
“Everyday meron tayong napupulot na mga kontrabando sa mga bubong. Ito ay mga hinahagis ng mga pamilya na nakatira within 50-meter radius ng ating mga facilities. That’s really a security problem,” Faeldon said.
Faeldon said they are exhausting all legal remedies to remove them from NBP.