NEW Bilibid Prison (NBP) officials on Monday strongly denied reports alleging a two-week water shortage inside the national penitentiary and dismissed claims that prisoners or persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) were being forced to pay for access to clean water.
NBP Superintendent Gary Garcia addressed the allegations, explaining that while the prison’s water pumps are currently non-functional, repairs are actively underway – a situation previously disclosed by Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr. during a media briefing.
To offset the reduced supply caused by the ongoing pump maintenance, Garcia emphasized that BuCor has engaged water concessionaire Maynilad to deliver clean water to the facility.
Detailed operational records show that between October 29 and November 1, 2026, Maynilad completed eight separate deliveries of 10 cubic meters each to NBP’s Reception and Diagnostic Center (RDC), amounting to a total volume of 80 cubic meters. In addition, agency fire trucks carried out five supplemental water deliveries-three on October 30 and two on November 1.
The RDC incurred a daily water expense of P14,538.54 during the period, bringing the total cost for the four days of Maynilad deliveries to P58,154.16.
Garcia clarified that all expenses incurred from the emergency water supply are fully subsidized by the government, reassuring the public that no inmate is required to pay for water.
‘I held a dialogue with the PDLs yesterday, and they confirmed that the water supplied by Maynilad and the water delivered by BuCor fire trucks are free of charge because the agency is shouldering the expenses,’ Garcia said.
He denounced the extortion claims as a deliberate ‘demolition job’ designed to tarnish his reputation and sabotage ongoing reforms within the prison system. He suggested that the false reports may be a retaliatory move by certain sectors inside the compound affected by BuCor’s aggressive contraband crackdowns, locally known as ‘Galugad’ operations, inside the RDC.
Garcia assured that BuCor remains committed to restoring the main water pumps promptly while maintaining continuous delivery through Maynilad and agency fire trucks to safeguard the health and well-being of the inmates. He vowed to press ahead with internal cleansing efforts inside the country’s main penitentiary despite pushback and smear campaigns.