At A Glance
- The PDLs arrived at the IPPF on Saturday to join 500 other inmates who first arrived in the prison facility on March 29.
- BuCor targets to transfer within the year 7,500 PDLs from Bilibid to other prison facilities, adding that the move is part of efforts to decongest BuCor's prisons.
500 Bilibid inmates transferred to Palawan prison
By Jeffrey Damicog
A total of 500 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) of 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 disclosed on Sunday, May 16.
BuCor Director General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr. said the PDLs arrived at the IPPF on Saturday to join 500 other inmates who first arrived in the prison facility on March 29.
Catapang said the BuCor targets to transfer within the year 7,500 PDLs from Bilibid to other prison facilities, adding that the move is part of efforts to decongest BuCor’s prisons.
“We envision a correctional system where PDLs can serve their sentences in humane surroundings that promote rehabilitation and eventual reintegration into society,” said Catapang.
He warned overcrowding poses not only security challenges but also maintaining the health, welfare, and rehabilitation of inmates.
Since the NBP was established in 1940, Catapang said the facility has long struggled with overcrowding.
The NBP can only accommodate 11,000 PDLs but has housed more than double the number.