Grig C. Montegrande/Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines–Newly-appointed Director General of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Gregorio Catapang Jr. announced the creation of a technical working group (TWG) to address the issue of informal settlers in Muntinlupa and decongesting BuCor facilities.
In an interview with reporters, Catapang said Muntinlupa Mayor Ruffy Biazon had asked him for help with informal settlers on BuCor land.
The BuCor Development Plan incorporates decongestion.
The TWG will include members from the Offices of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, Urban Development Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar, Biazon’s office, and Catapang’s own office.
Catapang explained that the TWG was created to address the problem, as he plans to decongest the New Bilibid Prison and relocate the 1,000 informal settlers on BuCor lands.
He said the 30,000 inmates will be transferred to different prisons and penal farms in Palawan, Davao, Leyte, and Mindoro.
The BuCor headquarters and the NBP camps currently occupy a total land area of 254.73 hectares, with other parcels of land of around 190 hectares used for either socialized housing, BuCor farms, or occupied by informal settlers.
READ: BuCor officials discover ‘tunnel’ but unsure what it is for
In recent news, BuCor faced controversy over its plans to develop its 270-hectare property in Tanay, Rizal, a protected area maintained by the Masungi Georeserve Foundation Inc.
Catapang assured the TWG that environmental considerations would be prioritized in any development plan and that BuCor’s idle lands are being developed because informal settlers previously occupied some.
READ: DOJ, BuCor: Development plans for Masungi will be pro-environment