Bilibid eyed as one-stop shop gov’t center

Bureau of Corrections

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla wants to transform the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City as a government center as the state penitentiary is set to close down by 2028, according to Bureau of Corrections (BuCor). BuCor Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr. said Remulla wanted the NBP to be a one-stop shop for government services. “What Secretary Remulla wants is to make it a government center—a government center south of Metro Manila,” Catapang said. “For example, if you want to transact with the Office of the President, there is no need to go to Malacañang or any agency. We will put up a one-stop shop for government offices,” he added. He reiterated that the NBP would closed down by 2028, saying that BuCor have started transferring all persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) to the regional jail facilities such as the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Palawan and the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Occidental Mindoro. He explained that it was no longer practical to have the NBP in Muntinlupa City, citing that many first class subdivisions have been built around the national penitentiary. —Nestor Corrales