300 Bilibid PDLs transferred to Davao prison

The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) yesterday disclosed the transfer of 300 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City to Davao City.

It said the transfer was part of the measures “to solve overcrowding and provide PDLs’ access to reformation programs and rehabilitation services.”

The BuCor said the transfer is also part of the programs initiated by Director General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr. “to deliver improved correctional services through construction of additional correctional facilities to establish a safer, more humane, and more restorative environment for the PDLs.”

Those transferred are now housed at the DPPF’s Annex Security Compound which can accommodate 2,000 PDLs.

"The construction of the annex compound was completed in 2022 and started to receive PDLs from NBP in 2023,” the bureau said.

The BuCor said that the construction was built to address prison overcrowding and is expected to play a crucial role in the overall well-being, rehabilitation and reintegration of PDLs, contributing to a more humane and effective correctional system.

Catapang said the transfer of PDLs from the NBP was part and parcel of the continuing program to decongest the NBP prison facility as it prepare for its closure and the plan for regionalization.