MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) transferred 100 inmates from the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa to the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Occidental Mindoro on Friday to decongest the national penitentiary before its shutdown in 2028.
The inmates – from the maximum and medium security compounds – left the Batangas port at 4 p.m. and arrived in Occidental Mindoro at 10 p.m., the BuCor announced yesterday.
Maximum security inmates are serving prison terms of over 20 years while those in medium security were sentenced to serve for less than 20 years.
A total of 7,579 inmates have been moved from the NBP to various prison and penal farms all over the country.
BuCor aims to close down the NBP by 2028 to transform it into a commercial hub similar to the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. The inmates’ transfer is part of BuCor’s regionalization program, incarcerating them near their home provinces.