Prisons across PH now decongested by 69% – BuCor

Prisons and penal facilities across the country have been decongested by 69%, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) said on Thursday.

“So, dati 356% ang congestion, napababa na natin iyan nang 69%. Dito na tayo sa 287% na lang,” said BuCor director general Gregorio Catapang Jr. over “Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon.” 

(So, previously the congestion was at 356%, and we reduced that by 69%. We are now down to just 287%.) 

Catapang said the release of a “record breaking” 10,000 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) in 2025 contributed to the decongestion in prison facilities. 

“Iyong unang-una nga po, dahil nabawasan natin ng 69% iyong congestion, unang-una nagpalaya tayo nang napakarami. Ito ngang this kakalipat na taon 2025, sampung libo ang napalaya natin – talagang record breaking na naman iyan,” he said. 

(First of all, because we reduced congestion by 69%, we released a big number. This past year 2025, we released 10,000 – that is truly record-breaking.) 

“And then iyong malakihang transfer nga ng mga PDL sa New Bilibid Prison, almost 14,000 – kaya po inimbitahan ko kayo bumisita kayo ulit sa New Bilibid Prison. Matutuwa kayo kasi hindi na masyadong congested.” 

(And then there’s the large-scale transfer of almost 14,000 PDLs from the New Bilibid Prison – that’s why I’m inviting you to visit the New Bilibid Prison again. You’ll be pleased to see that it is no longer as congested.)

The BuCor official added that in the first three years of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s term, almost 18,000 PDLs were released upon the end of their sentences, while 5,000 were granted parole and 4,000 were acquitted.

Catapang also cited the soon-to-rise “Supermax” facility in Occidental Mindoro, which was allocated P1.5 billion for 2026.

“Ito po iyong Supermax na sinasabi natin ay pinasa po ito ng Congress, kasi wala na po tayong death penalty. So, ang gusto nila ay talagang maparusahan talaga iyong mga taong nagkasala at masigurado na hindi sila gumalaw pa o mag-isip pa ng masasamang plano habang nakakulong,” he said.

(This Supermax [facility] we are talking about was passed by Congress, because we no longer have the death penalty. So, what they want is for those who have committed crimes to be truly punished and to ensure they can no longer operate or think of evil plans while in prison.) 

“Kaya next year po P1.5 billion ang ia-allocate and then, sa 2027 naman po P2 billion, and then 2028 ay P2.5 billion, so P6 billion po iyan na Supermax na gagawin sa Mindoro.” 

(That is why next year, P1.5 billion will be allocated, and then in 2027, P2 billion, and in 2028, P2.5 billion – so that is a P6 billion Supermax that will be built in Mindoro.) 

In addition, the BuCor will also open a “corrections academy” near Tanay, Rizal to help further professionalize its personnel.

“We want to make our training standards as comparable with Singapore, Norway, U.S. and this will happen in the coming years kasi wala po tayong correctional academy. Kailangan po natin iyon,” Catapang added.

(We want to make our training standards comparable with Singapore, Norway, U.S., and this will happen in the coming years because we don’t have a correctional academy. We need that.) — JMA, GMA Integrated News