The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) assured the Muntinlupa City government of the use of the Sunken Garden at the bureau’s New Bilibid Prison (NBP) compound as a sports facility and training ground for football enthusiasts.
BuCor Director General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr. gave the assurance to Muntinlupa City Mayor Ruffy Biazon during the opening of the Football Festival Exhibition Game featuring NBP’s persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) on Saturday morning, Oct. 26.
In a press statement, BuCor said that the Football Festival was organized by the Football Club Bilibid (FCB) manager Rafael Misa. The festival is part of the bureau’s week-long celebration of the National Correctional Consciousness Week, it said.
“This is not merely a promise but a concrete step towards fulfilling the vision of Mayor Biazon and to show the agency’s support in promoting healthy activities and providing opportunities for talent cultivation in the city,” Catapang said.
Emphasizing the importance of sports in education and character formation, the establishment of sports facilities creates a platform for social inclusion and community empowerment, he said.
For his part, Mayor Biazon vowed to build more sports facilities in the city, emphasizing that “sports activities are important to child development as they foster camaraderie and promote sportsmanship.”
Misa, on the other hand, disclosed that FCB was formed to help kids gain college scholarships through football and, so far, they have produced three scholars from San Beda College, three from the University of Perpetual Help, and one from Far Eastern University.
Also, he said, a football ladies’ team from the Muntinlupa High School has been organized and the team was the representative of the National Capital Region in the recently concluded Palarong Pambansa.