The first economic zone within the prison reservations of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) will be set up at the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm (IPPF) in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.
IPPF has more than 45,000 hectares of land divided into four zones or districts. It was set up in early 1900.
The setting up of an economic zone, first at the IPPF and later in other prison and penal farms in the country, is contained in a memorandum of agreement (MOU) signed by BuCor and Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) last Tuesday, Jan. 30.
“This agreement will identify areas within penal colonies which have the potential to become economic zones, focusing on Palawan to become an agricultural and economic zone,” the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a statement.
Under the partnership between BuCor and PEZA, the DOJ said that “idle lands of the BuCor which formerly had little to no use will now be maximized to produce economic and agricultural output making a major contribution to the country’s food security.”
The MOU was signed by BuCor Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. and PEZA Director General Tereso O. Panga at the PEZA's main offices in Pasay City.
Also present during the event were DOJ Undersecretary Deo L. Marco and PEZA Deputy Director General Maria Veronica F. MAgsino.
The BuCor has seven operating prison and penal farms (OPPF) including IPPF.
The other OPPFs are the New Bilibid Prison NBP) in Muntinlupa City; the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City; Leyte Regional Prison (LRP) in Abuyog, Leyte; San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm (SRPPF) in Zamboanga City; Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm (SPPF) in Occidental Mindoro; and Davao Prison and Penal Farm (DPPF) in Davao del Norte.
Before the BuCor-PEZA MOU, the DOJ and Department of Agriculture (DA) signed in July last year a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on the Reformation Initiative for Sustainable Environment for Food Security (RISE) Project.
Under the RISE Project, 501 hectares out of the 28,788.54 hectares of land of the IPPF will be used for agriculture.
Catapang had previously explained that the RISE project will provide food security for the country and, at the same time, generate income for the BuCor as well as to persons deprived of liberty (PDLs)