Catapang sees PDLs as ‘farmers’
Persons deprived of liberty at the Ihawig Prison and Penal Farm tend the 500-hectare land in Palawan for rice farming on Monday morning. | Photograph courtesy of BuCor
Bureau of Corrections director general Gregorio Catapang on Monday reiterated its offer for persons deprived of liberties to become farmers that will use its idle lands to help the government in its food security problem.
Except for Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City, the BuCor has six operating prison and penal farms nationwide with 80 to 90 percent of its more than 47,000 hectares total land areas available for farming and more than 50,000 PDLs as manpower.
The Iwahig in Puerto Princess in Palawan which is now the subject of a pilot project for agro-tourism sites and food production areas under a joint memorandum agreement with the Department of Justice and Department of Agriculture will be utilizing 501 hectares of the 28,326.41 hectares for the project.