The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) was allocated a P9.2 billion budget for this year, marking a 22.43 percent increase from the previous year’s P7.5 billion.
BuCor Director General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr. said the allocation for Personnel Services (PS), covering salaries, wages, honoraria, and other forms of compensation for personnel, rose by 36.49 percent from P1.5 billion last year to over P2 billion this year. The budget for operations, including rehabilitation and custodial services, also increased by 18 percent from P6 billion to P7.1 billion.
"This highlights the commitment of the Marcos administration to lower the congestion rate in our operating prison and penal farms (OPPFs) and improve the operational readiness of BuCor as it continues to address concerns after 50 years of neglect," Catapang said.
Catapang added that notable features of this year’s budget include funding for hygiene kits for the 54,988 Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs), amounting to P164.9 million, and a special provision for financial assistance to uniformed personnel, which provides a rice subsidy of 20 kilos per month totaling P50.5 million.
Other key provisions in the budget, according to the BuCor chief, include P288 million for the transfer of PDLs from the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) to various OPPFs, and an additional P75 million for maintenance and operating expenses for the joint hosting of BuCor and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology at the 2025 ASEAN Regional Correctional Conference (ARCC) this February.
However, the plans outlined in Republic Act No. 10575 to modernize and restructure BuCor will have to wait, as only P1.16 billion has been allocated for the construction of new facilities. This includes funds for two dormitories at Davao Prison and Penal Farm (DPPF) and Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm, as well as the ongoing construction of a Super Maximum Facility at Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm.
As part of the 2025 budget distribution, key institutions such as the New Bilibid Prison and the Correctional Institution for Women will receive the largest share of funding, totaling P7.3 billion. Other allocations include P477.5 million for Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm, P473.2 million for Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm, P158.1 million for Leyte Regional Prison, P331.7 million for San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm, and P481.3 million for Davao Prison and Penal Farm.