The corrections bureau is eyeing the conversion of a portion of the Inagawan Sub-colony as the new site of the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) as plans to close the facility in Muntinlupa nears its target date.
Bureau of Corrections (Bucor) Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang disclosed that it is a part of their development masterplan for the 29,000 hectares of land inside the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm (IPPF).
Bucor has started to decongest NBP sending persons deprived with liberty to different penal farms accross the country including IPPF. He said from 32,000, PDLs inside the facility are now down to 25,000, 70-80 percent of whom will be transferred to new facility in Inagawan once completed.
He added that once the PDLs are concentrated in Inagawan majority of IPPF’s areas will be converted to agricultural areas.
“The NBP in Muntinlupa ay isasara na natin by 2028 and the new Bilipid prison will be (transferred) to Palawan. Yung galing doon will be transferred here,” Catapang said in an interview with the media on Sunday, September 29.
“Yung Inagawan will be as per plan, doon natin ilalagay lahat ng PDL and yung simula Central, Montible and Sta. Lucia will all be converted into a more productive areas,” he added.
Catapang likewise said around 25,000 hectares has been declared by PEZA (Philippine Economic Zone Authority which will then be used for economic activities.
“So itong ginagawa nating PEZA zone, hopefully magtayo tayo ng agri and aqua industrial zone. Dito muna tayo magsimula, huwag yung heavy industrial na maapektuhan yung ating environment. This will be a sustainable development yun ang importante sa amin,” he said.
And of course pinapaspasan natin yung masterplan, yung zoning para hindi naman parang kabute na may magtatayo dito, so mixed use ito,” he added.
He also said he is proposing for the construction of an international airport in Iwahig to cater to international tourists which would be twice the size of Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
“Ang gusto ko kasi ay visionary, gusto ko malakihan. It’s an international airport na twice bigger than NAIA which is 600 hectares. Ito 1,200 hectares,” he stated.
While he gave no timetable for the proposals, he said that once the masterlan is finalized, the progams soon be implemented.
“So I have to present it to DOJ Secretary and he will elevate it to NEDA,” he said.
