MANILA, Philippines–The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) has suspended all visitation privileges for one week beginning March 11 on all penal facilities in the country following President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of a public health emergency due to the spike of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila.
Aside from the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City and the Correctional Institute for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City, the BuCor has also suspended visitation rights in its other penal institutions–Davao Prison and Penal Farm in Davao del Norte, Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Palawan, San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm in Zamboanga City, the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Occidental Mindoro, and the Leyte Regional Prison in Southern Leyte.
The BuCor, in its advisory, said it is strictly implementing its safety protocols to ensure the welfare of its stakeholders not only at the NBP and the CIW but also on all of its penal institutions.