Three hundred persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) have been transferred to the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm (SPPF) in Occidental Mindoro to further decongest the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City.
Under the plan, the NBP would be fully vacated and its reservation would be converted into a government center by 2028.
In a statement, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) said the transferred PDLs arrived safely in SPPF today, August 6.
With the transfer of the 300 PDLs, the BuCor said the congestion rate at the NBP dropped to 243 percent compared to 313 percent in 2022.
BuCor Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. said that from June 2022 to June 2025, a total of 23,629 PDLs had been released or higher by 41.35 percent than those freed during six years prior to 2022.
The achievement, he said, was due to efficiency by the Management Screening and Evaluation Committee (MSEC), the effective implementation of the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA), and expanded access to parole and executive clemency.
He also said that BuCor has released P6 million for the construction of additional dormitories for PDLS at SPPF.