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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Supermax' prison facility in Occidental Mindoro awaits convicts in 'anomalous' flood control projects

'Supermax' prison facility in Occidental Mindoro awaits convicts in 'anomalous' flood control projects

Published Jan 22, 2026 09:12 am
Persons who will be convicted in the anomalous flood control projects will be detained at the high-security or “supermax” prison facility in Occidental Mindoro.
This was revealed Wednesday night, Jan. 21, by Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. during the start of the three-day jail decongestion summit being held at the Manila Hotel’s Pandanggo and Polkabal Halls.
Catapang said the renovations and improvements on the facilities of the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm (SPPF) in Occidental Mindoro “is almost done.”
Also to be detained at the SPPF are those convicted of heinous crimes, he added.
At the same time, Catapang disclosed that the BuCor and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) will open next month a joint prison facility in Palayan City in Nueva Ecija.
He said the joint facility on a 60-hectare property donated by the Nueva Ecija provincial government can accommodate 3,000 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).
He also said that jails managed by the BJMP and the BuCor’s reception and diagnostic center (RDC) will be unified within the 60-hectare prison facility.
The BuCor and BJMP have no joint facility so far, Catapang said.
He explained that the BuCor, under the Department of Justice (DOJ), is mandated to secure persons who have been convicted of crimes, while the BJMP, under the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), detains persons who are facing charges before the courts.
He expressed hopes that through regionalization, the government can have a unified prison facility in every province.
The BuCor has acquired properties in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) as well as a 2,800-hectare property in Southern Leyte that was donated by the provincial governor.
Catapang said that President Marcos has sought to unify the country’s corrections and penology system and DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla has already expressed willingness to place the BJMP under the DOJ.
If the BJMP is under the DOJ, Catapang said the department will be able to monitor the status of PDLs who are undergoing trial.
In the meantime, he also said that the unified penology and corrections system is “undergoing study.”
“But we are moving towards that and this will also be discussed during this Manila Hotel summit,” he added.
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