The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) transferred 459 persons deprived of liberty from the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City to the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Puerto Princesa, Palawan Saturday night.

This brings to 1,254 the number of PDLS transferred to other operating prison and penal farm of BuCor since January of this year.

Bureau of Corrections Director General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr. said based on a report submitted to him by Acting NBP Superintendent  CCINSP Roger Boncales, all the PDLs arrived safely at IPPF except for one who was diagnosed  with Hypokalemia. He was brought in the IPPF in an ambulance.

Hypokalemia is when the amount of potassium in ones blood is too low. 

Catapang said the transfer of PDLs outside of Metro Manila is a stop gap measure in alleviating overcrowding in the NBP while awaiting budget for the construction of regional correction facilities as part of its medium and long term development and modernization plan. 

The transfer of PDLs to IPPF will also support the manpower needs of Iwahig its Reformation Initiative for Sustainable Environment (RISE) for Food Security project, Catapang said.

Catapang, citing BuCor’s data over the past five years, admitted the average number of PDL releases was at 5,327 per annum while the average number of PDL admitted was at 7,823 yearly, meaning the the rate of admission in BuCor was significantly higher than the number of releases.

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

The BuCor under the guidance of Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla, released a total of 11,347 PDLs from June 2022 to January 2024 under the “Bilis Laya” Program.

Catapang also explained that with the extensive marathon meetings of Management screening and Evaluation Committee in all BuCor’s OPPF, more and more PDL will be eventually released upon evaluation of their Good Conduct Time Allowance, adding for the period of January 1 to 30, 2024, 632 PDLs were released from confinement bureau wide which were 11.4percent higher than the 20-month average releases of 567 PDLs.

The BuCor has already forwarded 36,044 PDL Prison Records to the Board ‭ ‬of ‭ ‬Pardons ‭ ‬and ‭ ‬Parole ‭ ‬for evaluation, ‭ ‬deliberation, ‭ ‬and ‭ ‬resolution ‭pursuant to DOJ Memorandum dated September 2023.