The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) said the closure of a road inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) reservation in Poblacion, Muntinlupa that started Sunday is different from the earlier closure of an access road that was implemented in March.
BuCor built a wall on a road leading to the Type B area inside the NBP reservation, preventing vehicles from passing through.
Gabriel Chaclag, BuCor deputy director general for operations and administration, told the Manila Bulletin that the new road that was closed is around the oval area of the reservation where different BuCor facilities are located.
He said this should not be compared to the building of a wall and closure of the Insular Prison Road leading to the Southville 3 housing project in March.
“There is no comparison to the first wall built because this is not an access road compared to the first. There should be no civilians in the area. BuCor personnel should be in this area and they have access as there is a decal that can be used to pass through the (BuCor) administration building area,” said Chaclag.
Chaclag added that in closing the road, vital facilities will be secured, including the Corrections Training School with almost 200 trainees and engineering section. Illegal settlers, he said, should not be in the area.
The NBP reservation, he said, is a government security camp so there is no need to get permission from the local government unit if BuCor will open or close an internal roadway.
Photos from Barangay Poblacion showed prisoners building the wall on the road leading to the Type B on Sunday. The wall, which is about 4 feet high, runs the width of the road, and is located on the road near the main gate of the NBP.
An NBP resident who lives in the Type B area said they were made to go around the longer route through the NBP Sunken Garden to reach their house.
In March, BuCor built a wall on Insular Prison Road that leads to the Southville 3 housing project and closed the road. The road was used by Southville 3 residents to go to the city proper.
Muntinlupa Rep. Ruffy Biazon, Mayor Jaime Fresnedi, and the City Council protested the building of the wall. The Department of Justice has yet to resolve the issue.