AT least 16,530 New Bilibid Prisons inmates have been transferred to regional penal facilities since 2022, it was learned on Wednesday.
This, as Corrections Director General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr. announced the successful arrival Tuesday night of another batch of 200 prisoners or persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) from the NBP in Muntinlupa City, to the San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm located in San Ramon, Zamboanga City.
Catapang said these transfers are a strategic component of the Bureau of Corrections’ comprehensive program aimed not only at easing overcrowding in the heavily congested NBP but also at preparing for its eventual closure.
Catapang emphasized that the relocation of inmates is crucial to improving living conditions within the penal system and ensuring better rehabilitation opportunities.
‘By distributing the inmate population more evenly among other penal facilities nationwide, the bureau hopes to promote safe and humane detention environments that support correctional goals,’ Catapang said.
In line with the secured and orderly transfer, NBP Chief Supt. Gary A. Garcia reported that 200 PDLs were successfully escorted by a team of 70 personnel from the NBP. The escorting officers were briefed ahead of time on their specific duties and functions to guarantee the security and smooth execution of the transfer operation.
A total of 1,909 PDLs out of the targeted 7,000 transfers planned for this year have already been accomplished, Garcia said.
He disclosed the BuCor continuous to coordinate closely with all concerned agencies and local governments to ensure the efficient implementation of this transfer program.