To reduce the congestion in the country’s largest national penitentiary, Senator Dick Gordon said he favors the creation of a New Bilibid Prison (NBP) at Fort Magsaysay or Fort Mag military reservation in Nueva Ecija.
Gordon said a national penitentiary at the more than 86,486-acre military reservation would be more conducive to the reformation and rehabilitation of inmates so they can go back into society as productive citizens.
“I would favor creating a new Muntinlupa in Fort Magsaysay because there’s no talk about reformation or rehabilitation. For example, even the meals (at the NBP) are subject for corruption. The prisoners are given limited meals because somebody is making money out of it,” the veteran legislator said.
“Put them in a big place where they can even plant so that they can eat what they plant.”
“If you put them in a big place where they can even plant so that they can eat what they plant. That would be, not only economically good, but it would also give them a chance to be paid. Not minimum wage, but a certain amount so they can save money and it can put them back to the reformatory or rehabilitation mode,” the seasoned lawmaker added.
“The land in Muntinlupa where the NBP is located could be converted into another BCDA.”
The chairman of the Committee on Justice and Human Rights said the 1,100-acre land in Muntinlupa where the NBP is located, could be converted into another Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) area where a global city or a university city or other similar undertakings could be opened which would then generate employment.
The NBP, which had an initial capacity of 3,000 prisoners that was gradually expanded to 9,300, and then later to 10,082, now houses 24,770 inmates, based on 2017 records.
The senator also proposed to build other regional national penitentiaries to further decongest the NBP.