BuCor offers idle prison lands for PSC sports complexes, athlete villages

Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. has offered Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) landholdings of the agency as potential sites for the establishment of regional sports complexes, training centers, athlete villages, and multi-sport facilities.

The offer aligns with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address, which underscored the vital role of sports in national development, youth empowerment, and public health.

In a letter dated 31 July to PSC Chairman Patrick C. Gregorio, Catapang offered BuCor properties in Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan; Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro; Leyte Regional Prison in Abuyog, Leyte; Davao Prison and Penal Farm in Dujali, Davao del Norte; Zamboanga Prison and Penal Farm in Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur; and the BuCor Masungi Property in Tanay, Rizal.

Catapang expressed support for the PSC’s mission of serving as the prime catalyst and advocate for Philippine sports, noting that the offered properties represent a nationwide spread that can be maximized to advance a unified sports program aimed at enhancing quality of life, instilling national pride, and achieving international prestige through sports excellence.

“I look forward to partnering with PSC and to put to good use all the idle lands of BuCor,” he said, suggesting that these properties could serve various regions, making sports more accessible to aspiring athletes across the country.

He added that such a partnership could address pressing challenges in the Philippine sports landscape, including limited access to quality training facilities and inadequate grassroots support.

“By leveraging BuCor's land assets where athletes can thrive, the PSC can create new opportunities for athletes at all levels, from amateur to elite, ensuring that more Filipinos have the chance to pursue their dreams in sports and instill national pride,” Catapang said.