Supermax prison awaits convicted flood culprits

MANILA, Philippines —  People who will be convicted in the cases involving anomalous flood control projects will be sent to the “supermax” prison facility in Occidental Mindoro to serve time, according to Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) director general Gregorio Catapang Jr.

Catapang said renovations and improvements on the facilities of the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm, which also houses those convicted of heinous crimes, are “almost done.”

“This quarter it will be finished, in case a facility is needed for those involved in the flood control,” he said on the sidelines of the second National Decongestion Summit on Thursday.

Congress has allocated P6 billion for such a facility, according to Catapang, which will be distributed in three tranches: P1.5 billion in 2026, P2 billion in 2027 and P2.5 billion in 2028.

Flood control suspects are charged with graft and malversation, both serious offenses, with the attached penalty for the latter being imprisonment for up to 40 years.

In a recent television interview, Catapang said the BuCor is expecting 8,000 prisoners linked to the flood control scandal.

“There are 400 ghost projects, and each one of them has about 20 signatories. So, multiply 20 by 400 and you get 8,000. We have to anticipate if this is the number of personalities who will be imprisoned,” Catapang said over Bilyonaryo News Channel in December 2025.

Joint prison

Catapang also revealed that the BuCor and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) will open next month a joint prison facility in Palayan City in Nueva Ecija, which will be situated on a 60-hectare property donated by the provincial government.

He said the facility can accommodate 3,000 prisoners.

Catapang also said that jails managed by the BJMP and the BuCor’s reception and diagnostic center will be unified within the prison facility.

The government is eyeing to integrate both agencies to streamline operations and policies across correctional facilities.

This will be the first joint facility between BuCor and BJMP, he said, since the former, which is under the Department of Justice (DOJ), is tasked to secure persons who have been convicted of crimes, while the BJMP, which is under the Department of the Interior and Local Government, detains persons who have pending cases before courts.

Catapang said the BuCor has acquired properties in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao as well as a 2,800-hectare property in Southern Leyte donated by the provincial governor.

He said there is a plan to place the BJMP under the DOJ, which will then be able to monitor the status of persons undergoing trial. - Elizabeth Marcelo