BuCor chief seeks backing on prison system modernization

Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) director general Gregorio Catapang Jr. is calling on lawmakers to support reforms that would establish a unified penology and correctional system, standardize medical parole, and better manage state properties to generate income.

In a statement released Thursday, Catapang said the measures are part of a broader effort to decongest overcrowded prisons and improve rehabilitation programs.

He called on stakeholders, inmate families and partner agencies to back the reforms, which are aimed at making the agency “relevant, sustainable and respected.”

Catapang added that Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla and Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla have reached a “verbal agreement” to begin transferring control to a unified system.

From June 2022 to June 2025, BuCor released 23,629 people deprived of liberty and transferred inmates to regional facilities, including the Iwahig Penal Farm in Palawan and Sablayan in Occidental Mindoro.

These steps have helped reduce the congestion rate at New Bilibid Prison from 313 percent in 2020 to 224 percent in 2025.

BuCor is also working to modernize its facilities, expand dormitories, and increase personnel. The agency’s budget has doubled from P5 billion in 2022 to P10 billion in 2025, with additional funding expected from joint ventures and other income-generating projects.