Bilibid prison opens 5,000-sqm park for inmates with visitors

Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gregorio Catapang Jr. leads the opening of the 5,000-square-meter park, on Thursday, March 1, 2024. (Photo from the Bureau of Corrections)

MANILA, Philippines — A 5,000-square-meter park was formally opened on Thursday at the maximum security compound of New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City, where the inmates can better spend time with visiting family members.

What was once a sprawling, vacant area now features an open-air children’s playground and gazebos.

The park took four months to complete, using primarily recycled materials and depending largely on donations from anonymous sponsors.

“This is intended for family visits. This is part of the reformation and family reintegration program for persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) to give them hope while incarcerated,” Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr. told the Inquirer.

SAFE SPACES Visiting families now have a park and playground to spend time with loved ones being held at the maximum security compound of New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City. (Photo from the Bureau of Corrections)

READ: Destroying walls of ‘kubol’ in NBP will curb illegal activities, says BuCor chief

READ: Catapang to NBP inmates: Surrender all contraband

READ: BuCor eyes new HQ at Masungi Georeserve, relocation site for NBP elsewhere

For good conduct

More quality time with families could lead to good conduct that, if sustained, would eventually qualify the inmates for an early release, Catapang added.

A two-layer concrete perimeter wall topped with barbed wire secures the park. A single narrow gate serves as an entrance and exit for the prisoners and guests.

Jail guards are posted on the ground and at a tower to monitor movement. A K-9 unit will also be deployed in the area starting this month, Catapang said.

“It’s not a security risk because everyone who will enter will be inspected,” he said.

Overnight stays are not allowed as the park is open only from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday to Sunday. Inmates not expecting visitors are not allowed access to the park, the BuCor chief said.

New batch released

Meanwhile, a total of 706 PDLs were released from various prison facilities nationwide in February, according to the bureau.

Among those released were convicts who had been acquitted on appeal, completed their sentence, granted bail, probation or parole, or secured a writ of habeas corpus.

The releases in February raised to 12,053 the total number of PDLs freed by the BuCor under the Marcos administration.