The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) and the Provincial Local Government Unit (PLGU) of Nueva Ecija conducted a public hearing on 03 October 2025 to discuss the establishment of a regional correctional facility in Palayan City, a move seen as part of government efforts to decongest the country’s overcrowded prisons.
Leading the BuCor delegation was ASEC AL I PERRERAS, Deputy Director General for Administration, joined by CCSUPT MELENCIO S FAUSTINO, Chief, BuCor Land Control and Management Center (BLCMC); ATTY. CEASAR ANTHONY S. SOLIS, CPA, MBA, Director, Directorate for Comptrollership; COL MARIO ROBLES, BuCor Consultant, ENGR. AL CIR JUAN RAÑOSA, Officer-in-Charge, Directorate for Engineering Services (DES), and Ms. JORDINE ROSE R. OCON, CrFA, MPS, Chief, Strategic Communications Office (SCO).
Acting Governor GIL RAYMOND M. UMALI, Provincial Administrator ATTY. JOSE MARIA CEASAR C. SAN PEDRO, and Palayan City Mayor VIANDREI NICOLE J. CUEVAS, together with other local officials, represented the provincial government.
The hearing was attended by stakeholders from both the public and private sectors, providing an avenue for residents to raise concerns about the implications of hosting a correctional facility, particularly on issues of security and community welfare. BuCor officials addressed these matters and assured participants that stringent security protocols and modern correctional management systems would be implemented to safeguard the host community.
The establishment of a regional correctional facility is expected to bring substantial advantages to Palayan City and the province of Nueva Ecija. Beyond addressing prison congestion, the project will generate economic benefits through job creation during both the construction and operational phases. Local businesses are anticipated to gain from increased demand for goods and services, while infrastructure development and public utilities such as transportation, communications, and power supply are likely to be upgraded to support the facility. In addition, the project will open new opportunities for residents of Nueva Ecija who aspire to join the Bureau as Corrections Officers, thereby promoting local employment and professional growth.
The PLGU of Nueva Ecija committed to donating 60 hectares of land for the facility, affirming its support for BuCor’s Regionalization Plan, which seeks to establish correctional facilities across the country.
At present, the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa, designed to hold about 6,000 Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs), houses more than 22,000 PDLs. Across its seven (7) facilities nationwide, BuCor currently holds over 53,000 PDLs, with a congestion rate exceeding 300 percent, among the highest in the world. This reality stretches BuCor personnel and infrastructure, hampers the effectiveness of reformation programs and poses risks to security, health, and human dignity.
ASEC PERRERAS emphasized that the establishment of regional correctional facilities is central to modernizing the country’s prison system. He said this initiative would decongest existing prisons, bring PDLs closer to their families, and provide opportunities for localized reformation programs.
The planned correctional facility in Palayan City is expected to become a model for future regional facilities nationwide, advancing BuCor’s mandate of ensuring the safekeeping and reformation of PDLs while addressing the country’s long-standing problem of prison overcrowding.
