500 PDLs transferred to Sablayan

The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) on Sunday revealed that another batch of 500 persons deprived of liberty (PDL) were transferred from the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City to Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm (SPPF) in Occidental Mindoro.

BuCor director general Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. said one PDL temporarily transferred from SPPF who had completed his medical treatment from the NBP Hospital and was discharged and transferred back to SPPF. 

The 500 new transferees are composed of 400 from the Reception and Diagnostic Center, 49 PDLs from the maximum society compound and 52 from the medium security compound plus the one returning PDL arrived safely last night at SPPF.

Catapang said the RDC is responsible for the classification of each and every PDL admitted to the BuCor as they have to be classified first according to security risk and sentence.

It also serves as holding area where psychological evaluation and other behavioral assessments are being done in preparation for their reformation treatment program.

There are three security classification of PDLs inside the operating prison and penal farms of BuCor — one is the maximum security compound that houses PDLs serving a prison sentence of more than 20 years.

The second is the medium security compound, which houses those serving less than 20 years and third is the minimum security compound, which houses those close to completing their sentence.

To recall, PDLs from the NBP are being transferred in batches to various OPPF outside of Metro Manila as part of BuCor’s program to decongest NBP and in preparation for its eventual closure before 2028.