Muntinlupa city: The New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City has seen a steady decrease in inmate congestion in the past three years, prison officials said Wednesday.

According to Philippines News Agency, Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. reported a 22.4 percent reduction in congestion rate at the NBP, from 313 percent in 2022 to 243 percent in 2025. Catapang attributed this decline to the construction of new facilities and the transfer of 11,601 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) from NBP to other operating prison and penal farms.

From June 2022 to June 2025, BuCor released a total of 23,629 PDLs, surpassing the achievements of previous administrations over their six-year terms by 41.35 percent. This was made possible through efficiency in the Management Screening and Evaluation Committee (MSEC), the effective implementation of the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA), and expanded access to parole and executive clemency.

Despite new dormitories under construction to increase PDL capacity by 3,000 beds in Iwahig, Sablayan, Davao Prison and Penal Farms, and Leyte Regional Prison, BuCor requires 32 more dormitories, costing PHP14.6 billion, to fully address the backlog. Catapang noted the allocation of PHP6 billion for the construction of eight dormitories, including a supermax facility in Sablayan, as directed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

Further, Catapang mentioned ongoing development of BuCor's land and water assets to drive economic growth through the master planning of the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farms into a mega economic zone. This initiative is set to be replicated in Sablayan in Occidental Mindoro and San Ramon Prison and Penal Farms in Zamboanga.

Meanwhile, 300 PDLs transferred from the NBP in Muntinlupa City arrived safely Wednesday at the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Occidental Mindoro, having departed Tuesday night.