The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) on Sunday said another batch of 500 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) from the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) were transferred to the Davao Prison and Penal Farm.

According to BuCor Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr., this was part of the bureau’s initiatives to decongest the national penitentiary and improve the quality of lives of those who are serving their sentence there.

Of those transferred, Catapang said 250 PDLs came from Maximum Security Camp, 50 from Medium Security Camp, and 200 from Reception and Diagnostic Center (RDC) 250.

The RDC is a special unit within the BuCor facility where new prisoners undergo diagnostic examination, study, and observation to determine the program of treatment and training best suited to their needs and the institution to which they should be transferred.

“Since we are in the process of decongesting the NBP and in preparation for the closure of NBP before 2028, we no longer admit new PDLs at the NBP," Catapang said.

He noted that incoming PDLs are now being admitted at the RDC, where they will stay for two months before being transferred to an operating prison and penal farm outside of Metro Manila.