Three hundred persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) from the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City have been transferred to the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm (IPPF) in Palawan, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) said on Sunday, July 21.
“We continuously transfer PDLs to various operating prison and penal farms of Bucor to decongest the NBP and to augment the manpower requirements of other prison facilities which have food production projects," Director General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr. said in a statement.
Catapang also said the transfer is part of preparations to shut down the NBP in 2028 have its 350-hectare property converted into mixed use including a government center and national park.
He said the 300 PDLS arrived at the IPPF on Sunday, July 21, after leaving NBP last Saturday, July 20.
He also said the PDLs were escorted by 100 corrections officers including members of the Special Weapons and Tactics SWAT) and medical personnel.
The transfer was also assisted by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), he added.