Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra is set to meet online with prison and local government officials on Friday, April 16, to tackle the blocking of a public road inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) reservation in Muntinlupa City.
“We have rescheduled the meeting with the BUCOR (Bureau of Corrections), LGU (Muntinlupa City local government unit), NHA (National Housing Authority), and other interested parties regarding the NBP road closure on Friday morning via zoom,” he said on Tuesday, April 13.
“We’ll conduct the ocular inspection when it’s rather safe to do it,” he added.
The blocked road, known as the Insular Prison Road, from the Southville 3 of the NHA leading to the NBP compound has caused an uproar among residents and motorists.
Even Muntinlupa City Rep. Rozzano Rufino “Ruffy” B. Biazon has registered his objection to the closure of the road in a letter to Guevarra last March 22.
Among other things, Biazon told Guevarra that “… this unilateral action taken by the Bureau of Corrections was done without proper coordination and consultation with my office, the City Government of Muntinlupa and the people who will be primarily affected by such closure.”
Biazon also said “the closure of the road, most especially at this time of a pandemic, is very inconsiderate of the plight of our constituents in Muntinlupa City.”
Last March 21, BuCor justified its decision to close or limit the public use of the road which was done to protect the maximum security prison inside the NBP.
BuCor Deputy Director Gabriel P. Chaclag said the bureau does not consider it as blocking. What BuCor implemented is the “closing of vehicular traffic from NHA South Ville 3 passing through Maximum Security Compound,” he said.
“There is another big highway within the NBP land that NHA Southville 3 can use as alternate route,” he pointed out.
He lamented that motorists have been accustomed to using the closed road for almost 15 years as a shortcut.
“Dapat na po nating ituwid ito. Hindi po maayos ang bayan natin kung walang disiplina (We have to correct this. Our country will not be in order without discipline),” he said.