President Marcos to grace Jail Decongestion Summit

President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr is set to attend the first-ever National Jail Decongestion Summit on December 6 and 7. It will be held in Diamond Hotel.

This was confirmed after a meeting in Malacanang with Marcos Jr and the Department of Justice to update the president on the plan to build 16 regional jails by 2028.

Aside from the DOJ, the summit will have representatives from the Department of Interior and Local Government, Supreme Court, and several resource persons.

DOJ Undersecretary Mico Clavano, who also acts as spokesperson for the agency, said they plan to construct other regional jails and targeting to build the same by the end of the term of Marcos, Jr.

Clavano said aside from the President, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin will also grace the summit.

“Only this administration has, I guess, ventured into even starting to solve the problem of ours,” Clavano added.

The summit has three goals, Clavano explained, “first to reduce admissions…second, increase releases (of prisoners) by legal means, and third to expand the capacity of jail facilities”.

The summit will discuss short-term and long-term objectives to decongest the country’s prison facilities.

Earlier, Clavano admitted that they plan to vacate the National Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City to make way for a national government center.

“We take the President’s directive very seriously that is why within the administration’s time until 2028 we hope to build at least 16 regional jails,” Clavano said recently.

The DOJ hopes to convert the NBP into a national government center or another government facility, which can be utilized to its maximum potential. 

Clavano explained that during a palace briefing, the land where the NBP is located has a high value and ioccupies a large space.

The NBP had an initial land area of 551 hectares (1,360 acres) but the 104 hectares or 260 acres were transferred to a housing project of the Department of Justice. At present, the NBP has a population of 30,701 persons deprived of liberty as of first half of 2023, exceeding its ideal capacity of 6,345 inmates. 

The DOJ is planning additional jail facilities in Quezon City.

In order to build these jails, Clavano said the DOJ and the Bureau of Corrections will request an additional budget in the General Appropriations Act.

“It will cost about P2 billion per facility, roughly,” Clavano said.