The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) transferred another 200 inmates Sunday from the congested New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa to the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Occidental Mindoro.

The transfer is part of an ongoing effort to redistribute the inmate population across regional facilities to alleviate severe overcrowding and improve management within the national prison system.

BuCor director general Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr. said the operations are being systematically carried out in preparation for the planned closure of the New Bilibid Prison by 2028.

The Muntinlupa complex, which is the country’s oldest and largest penal institution, has been plagued for decades by overcrowding, crumbling infrastructure, and persistent security challenges, prompting a complete overhaul of the national correctional system.

The Sablayan facility is one of the bureau’s primary agricultural penal farms. It has been upgraded to accommodate a larger inmate population while offering vocational and agricultural training programs intended for rehabilitation.

BuCor officials said shifting inmates to regional penal farms like Sablayan is designed to provide a more humane and productive environment, allowing prisoners to engage in skills training to aid their eventual reintegration into society.

Catapang cited that the decentralized redistribution of inmates to various agricultural prison camps nationwide aligns with broader government efforts to modernize the country’s penal system.