House OKs bill to create prisons exclusive for high-profile heinous crime convicts

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MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives approved Wednesday a measure seeking to establish separate jails for high-level lawbreakers who committed heinous crimes.

With 222 affirmative votes, zero negative, and no abstention, the lower chamber approved House Bill No. 10355 of the “Separate Facility for High-Level Offenders Act” which calls for the construction of prisons – preferably in a military facility or an island away from the general population or mainland – for heinous crimes offenders who are identified as high-risk and high-profile by the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor).

“The facility shall be located in a secured and isolated place to ensure that there is no unwarranted contact or communication from outside the penal institution,” the proposed legislation states.

The penitentiary shall be equipped with surveillance cameras and the latest information technology and security systems capable of monitoring its inmates 24 hours a day, and with enhanced and extensive security features on locks, doors, and its perimeters.

House Bill No. 10355 further states that at least three facilities shall be built—one each in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

A similar measure was approved in the Senate back in 2019.