Marcos Jr. tells BuCor: No special treatment, end illegal drug trade in prisons

The New Bilibid Prison Muntinlupa City on Nov. 14, 2022. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/FileMANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday ordered the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) to ensure fair treatment of persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) and put an end to the illegal drug trade inside correctional facilities.

Marcos visited the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City on October 28 for the 32nd National Correctional Consciousness Week, where he led the ceremonial release of 266 PDLs and interacted with several inmates.

“Sa pamunuan ng BuCor, tiyakin na naaayon sa batas at dumadaan sa maayos na pagsusuri ang bawat paglaya,” he said in his speech.

The president emphasized that “every release should be done painstakingly,” saying that “second chances should never come at the expense of public safety.”

“Walang special treatment, walang iligal na paggamit ng cellphone at tuldukan natin ang operasyon ng iligal na droga sa ating mga bilangguan,” he added.

The president also vowed to continue improving the country’s corrections system, acknowledging persistent challenges such as jail congestion, delays in the resolution of cases and limited access to legal assistance.

“Hindi dapat natin hayaang maantala ang paglaya ng mga kwalipikadong PDL dahil sa kakulangan sa serbisyong ligal,” Marcos said.

“Naniniwala ang pamahalaan na ang bawat taong nagkamali at humarap sa pananagutan ay dapat ding bigyan ng pagkakataon na magbago at makapagsimula ulit,” he added.

Marcos also pledged to pursue the expansion and improvement of correctional facilities, including the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm, the proposed Sablayan Mega Ecozone in Occidental Mindoro, BuCor Global City in Muntinlupa City and the Central Luzon Region Prison Facility in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija.

“Mahirap ang magbagong buhay kung masikip at hindi maayos ang ating bilangguan,” he said.

BuCor Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr. said the agency’s congestion rate currently stands at 217% to 220%, with around 17,000 Bilibid inmates having been transferred to other correctional facilities.

Catapang also thanked Marcos for supporting prison reforms, saying the administration had allocated P5 billion for the construction of new correctional facilities.

“Marami po kayong nagawa dito sa BuCor. Kayo po ang kauna-unahang presidente na bumisita dito at nakidaupang palad sa ating mga PDL,” Catapang told Marcos.

Catapang said 37,099 PDLs had been released under the Marcos administration, which he described as the highest number of releases under any presidency.

“Sa dami nang napalaya ng mga previous administration, sa six years nila, ang pinakamalaki lang 21,000. Noong 2025, third year ni President BBM, napalaya niya 30,000 na. So abante na siya,” Catapang told reporters in an interview ahead of the event.

He attributed the number of releases to the implementation of the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA), particularly the inclusion of persons convicted of heinous crimes in the credit system, as allowed by a Supreme Court ruling.

Catapang expressed optimism that more PDLs would be released before Marcos’ term ends in 2028.

“Nandoon ‘yung momentum eh na may 2.5 day allowance sila per day. So, mapapabilis. So, tinatarget nga namin na every year, at least 10,000 napapalaya,” he said.