459 New Bilibid Prison inmates moved to Palawan prison

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) has transferred 459 inmates from the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa to the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Palawan to support the IPPF’s needs for its food security project.

The inmates arrived at the IPPF in Puerto Princesa City on Saturday night.

However, one inmate was brought to the prison in an ambulance for hypokalemia, a condition in which the blood potassium level is too low.

The IPPF is conducting its Reformation Initiative for Sustainable Environment for Food Security project.

“This brings to 1,254 the number of (inmates) transferred to other operating prison and penal farms of BuCor since January this year,” the BuCor said yesterday.

BuCor chief Gregorio Catapang Jr. said the inmates’ transfer is a “stopgap” measure to address overcrowding at the NBP, which has been admitting 7,823 inmates yearly for the past five years compared to releasing 5,327 every year.

 “Under these conditions, the (inmate) population will continue to grow at steady rates, making regionalization the most potent solution,” Catapang said.

A total of 11,374 inmates were released from various prisons and penal farms from June 2022 until January 2024 under the “Bilis Laya” program.

Catapang said more inmates are expected to be released upon evaluation of their good conduct time allowance.

The BuCor has also forwarded the prison records of 36,044 inmates to the Board of Pardons and Parole for evaluation and resolution.

The NBP is expected to be emptied of inmates by 2028 as the government aims to convert the penal institution into a government hub.