The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), led by Director General, GENERAL GREGORIO PIO P CATAPANG JR., AFP (Ret.), CESE, CCLH, participated in the Second National Jail and Prison Decongestion Summit held from 21 to 23 January 2026 at the Manila Hotel. The summit, organized by the Justice Sector Coordinating Council (JSCC), brought together key leaders and stakeholders from across the justice sector to strengthen inter-agency coordination and advance reforms in the country’s correctional system.
The JSCC is composed of the Supreme Court (SC), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and serves as a platform for harmonizing policies and initiatives aimed at improving the administration of justice, including the management and decongestion of jails and prisons nationwide.
DG CATAPANG was joined by BuCor Key Officials, including ASEC AL I PERRERAS, Deputy Director General for Administration; C/CSUPT MELENCIO S FAUSTINO, Director of the BuCor Land Control and Management Center (BLCMC); CT/SSUPT MARJORIE ANN P SANIDAD, MD, RN, FIAMS, Superintendent of the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW); C/SSUPT ROGER O BONCALES, Superintendent of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP); C/SSUPT ALFREDO A DEVARAS JR., Commander of the National Headquarters (NHQ) and HQS Service Command; ENGR. AL CIR JUAN RAÑOSA, Acting Director of the Directorate for Engineering Services (DES); and ATTY. KEISHA ALYSSA R. BRILLO, Chief of the PDL Documents and Processing Division (PDPD).
During Breakout Session 2, titled “Setting a New Jail and Prison Building Code,” ENGR. RAÑOSA presented BuCor’s institutional and strategic framework for addressing congestion and strengthening correctional infrastructure nationwide. The presentation highlighted the development of conceptual Regional Prison Facilities to decentralize the population of Persons Deprived of Liberty (PsDL), as well as the establishment of separate, high-security facilities for individuals convicted of heinous crimes.
The BuCor reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with its justice sector partners in advancing coordinated, sustainable, and security-focused correctional reforms. Through continued infrastructure development, policy alignment, and inter-agency collaboration, BuCor aims to strengthen institutional capacity, promote humane and orderly custody of PsDL and contribute to the broader national agenda of jail and prison decongestion and justice system modernization.
