BJMP seeks Manila City Jail declared as historical site

The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) renewed its call Friday to designate the Manila City Jail complex in Santa Cruz as a national historical site.

The facility, originally constructed during the Spanish colonial period in 1865, served as the country’s main penitentiary, known as the “Old Bilibid Prison,” before its conversion into a municipal detention center.

BJMP Jail Superintendent Michelle Bonto, warden of the Manila City Jail Male Dormitory, confirmed that the bureau had previously coordinated with the National Historical Commission of the Philippines to request the installation of a historical marker and formal heritage preservation status for the compound.

“We want the Manila City Jail, the former Old Bilibid Prison, to be included in our national historical registry for future generations,” Bonto said.

“The facility carries immense historical value, having been established during the Spanish era and later serving as a detention center under American and Japanese colonial administrations,” she added.

The announcement coincided with the inauguration of the jail facility’s newly renovated indoor firing range, designed to provide tactical marksmanship training for BJMP personnel and officers from the Manila Police District.