A total of 500 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) was transferred last Sunday, April 20, from the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City to the San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm (SRPPF) in Zamboanga City.
In a statement issued on Monday, April 22, Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr. said: “Continuous ang ating pag transfer ng PDLs (The transfer of PDLs have been continuous) first as part of our decongestion, second to augment the workforce needs of penal farm in agricultural project. and third as part of our preparation for the closure of NBP by 2028."
Catapang said that the 350-hectare NBP reservation is being eyed for conversion into a government center, open park and mixed use facility.
So far, he said a total of 3,993 Bilibid PDLs had been transferred to prison facilities outside Metro Manila since January 2024.
Those transferred included 999 PDLs sent to the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm (IPPF) in Puerto Princesa, Palawan; 1,000 to the Davao Prison and Penal Farm (DPPF) in Panabo City, Davao del Norte; 1,000 to the SRPPF; and 448 to the Leyte Regional Prison (LRP) in Abuyog, Leyte.