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January 22, 2026 | 2:51pm
File photo showing the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City.
https: / / muntinlupacity.gov.ph /
MANILA, Philippines — Individuals convicted of the flood control scandal may be detained in a penal facility in Mindoro, the chief of the Bureau of Corrections (BUCor) said.
When asked during an interview if there is a facility for the individuals convicted of the flood control scandal during the National Jail Decongestion Summit on Wednesday, January 21, BuCor chief Gregorio Catapang Jr. said that the Sablayan penal facility in Mindoro may be used to hold them.
“Meron nanaman…'yung Mindoro kasi designated na ‘supermax,’ so doon ilalagay 'yung serious-henious crime offenders,” Catapang said.
(There is one… because the facility in Mindoro is designated as a ‘supermax,’ that is where serious-heinous crime offenders will be placed.)
“Meron na, almost done na,...first this quarter, matatatapos na. Just in case maglagay ng facility para doon sa involved sa flood control,” he added.
(It’s already there, it's almost done... it will be finished within this first quarter. Just in case, a facility will be set up for those involved in flood control.)
Bilibid to be repurposed. According to Gregorio Catapang, the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa is set to be closed as the site will be repurposed for other uses.
He explained that their stay at the current location is no longer tenable because the facility is now surrounded by first-class subdivisions.
“Pagka may nagkaroon ng let’s say jail break doon or whatever magiging serious security problem,” he said.
(If there happens to be, let’s say, a jailbreak there or whatever, it will become a serious security problem.)
He also noted that the property could be better utilized for other essential government purposes.
Catapang also shared that there has been a significant improvement in the conditions of Bilibid, saying that the congestion rate has actually dropped from 300% to nearly 200%.
This represents a reduction of approximately 100% in the overall congestion level of the prison, according to Catapang.
Reports from 2025 indicate that jail and prison facilities continued to struggle with severe overpopulation.
As of September 2025, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology had a 286% congestion rate in its prisons, while the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) had a 290% congestion rate.
