In this photo taken on June 6, 2014, inmates from the medium security compound work on a rice field at Iwahig prison in Puerto Princesa, Palawan island. Bounded by a mangrove forest-choked coast, a mountain range and a highway to Puerto Princesa city, 14 kilometres (8.7 miles) away, Iwahig is one of the world’s largest open prisons, as well as one of the country’s oldest correctional institutions. AFP FILE PHOTO
The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) has released 44 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) from the Iwahig Prison & Penal Farm (IPPF) in Palawan as part of the government’s efforts of declogging the country’s penal facilities.
In a statement, BuCor Director General Delos Santos said that the released PDLs have served their sentence.
They were released during BuCor’s IPPF visit on April 6 and 7, the final leg of its nationwide command visits to prisons and penal farms that aim to reduce backlog in records management. A task force has also been created to expedite the processing of the records of inmates.
More than 400 convicts from seven penal facilities under BuCor have been released.
Delos Santos also noted the agricultural potential of IPPF for rice, coffee and fruit bearing trees, considering its vast 23,000 hectare reservation.
He cited that the inmates only occupy 50 hectares, including sub colonies within the area.
“Ecotourism is also being planned as part of income generation both for the PDLs & BuCor. Following the planned regional facilities, IPPF can accommodate 30,000 PDLs,” he added.
Aside from the IPPF in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, the prison facilities under BuCor are the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City, the Leyte Prison and Penal Farm, the Sabisyan Prison and Penal Farm in Occidental Mindoro, the San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm in Zamboanga City, the Leyte Regional Prison in Abuyog, Leyte and the Davao Prison and Penal Farm in Panabo, Davao. IDL
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