Philippine Prison System Agencies of the government charged with
Correctional Responsibility:
Bureau of Corrections (BUCOR)
The correctional system in the Philippines is
Bureau of Prisons was renamed Bureau of composed of 6 agencies under 3 distinct and
Corrections under E.O 292 passed during the separate executive departments of the national
Aquino Administration. It states that the head government, namely:
of the Bureau of corrections is the Director of
Prisons who is appointed by the President of The Department of Justice:
the Philippines with the confirmation of the
Commission of Appointments. Bureau of Corrections
The Bureau of Corrections has general Parole and Probation Administration
supervision and control of all national prisons or
Board of Pardons and Parole
penitentiaries. It is charged with the
safekeeping of all Insular Prisoners confined Department of Interior and Local Government:
therein or committed to the custody of the
Bureau. Municipal, district and city jails- operated by
BJMP
Jail V.s Prison
Provincial Jail -Administered and supervise by
As to term of penalty – Jail less than 3yrs, provincial Government
Prison more than 3yrs
Department of Social and Welfare
As to inmates – Jail convicted or pending trial; Development
in prison all convicted
Child and Youth Welfare
As to administration- in Jail as far as provincial
jail is concerned it is under the administration of
the provincial government, in case of municipal
and city district jail, it is under the supervision
of Bureau of Jail Management and Penology; in
case of Prison, it is under the Bureau of
Corrections
As to Head of the Institution – Jail is headed by
a Warden; District Jail under BJMP headed by
warden; Prison and Penal Colony and Penal
Farm is headed by a Superintendent.
Note: The population of jail and prison including
penal farms and penal colonies except the
personnel are called inmates, prisoner with
exception of jails whose inmates are undergoing
trial of their respective cases are called
detainees.
KEY POSITIONS OF THE BUCOR DOJ with the proper endorsement by
Chairman of the CSC
Headed by: Director assisted w/(3) Deputy
Directors: for administration, for security and
operations and for information. All of whom
shall be appointed by the President upon
recommendation of the Sec. DOJ: Provided that
the Director and the Deputy Directors of the
buCor Shall serve a tour od duty not to exceed
6yrs from the date of appointment: Provided,
further than in times of war or other national
emergency declared by Congress, The President
may extend such tour of duty. Upon the
implementation of this Act the incumbent
Director and Deputy/Assistant Directors of
Bucor shall continue their tour of duty as a
Director General and Deputy Director Generals
of Corrections. However, in no instance shall WE ARE UNITED. WE ARE BUCOR STRONG
any Director of corrections or his Deputy
Director Generals may be permitted to serve Basic Pay: 29, 668 for Corrections officer
more than 1 tour of duty in the prison service. I/Corrections Technical Officer I
OFFICER IN COMMAND OF THE BUCOR
Designation Rank
Director General 6yrs Undersecretary
(3stars)
Deputy Directors Asst. Secretary (2stars)
Chief Superintendent Chief Superintendent
Senior Superintendent Senior Superintendent
Superintendent Superintendent
APPOINTMENT OF UNIFORMED PERSONNEL
TO BUCOR
Appointment of Personnel to the Bucor. The
appointment of the Bucor shall be effected in
the ff manners:
Old Bilibid Prison
1. Corrections Officer I to Correction Chief
Superintendent – appointed by the It was the year 1847 the first Bilibid Prison was
Director General of Corrections and constructed and become the central place of
attested by the Civil Service Commission confinement for Filipino Prisoners by virtue of
2. Director General of Corrections and the Royal Decree of the Spanish Crown
Deputy Director General of Corrections-
Appointed by President upon the Established in 1847 pursuant to
recommendation of the secretary of the sec.1708 of the Revised Administrative
Code and formally opened by Royal building shop, Electronics, watch repairing
Decree 1865 carpentry and rattan furniture shop. It is also
Old Bilibid Prison was constructed as engaged in truck gardening, poultry, piggery,
the main penitentiary on Oroquieta and animal husbandry.
Street Manila
Designed to house the prison The New Bilibid Prison offers a high school
population of the country course which was established in 1956 for
“Carcel Y Presidio Correcional” prisoners who desire to complete their high
Accommodate 1,217 Prisoners school education.
7 CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES IN THE 2.San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm
PHILIPPINES
The Spanish authorities in 1869 saw the need of
(UNDER BUCOR) establishing one prison separate from Bilibid for
those who fought the established government.
1.New Bilibid Prison In effect, San Ramon Prison and Penal farm in
Zamboanga was established for the
It was constructed in 1936 in Muntinlupa in a confinement of political offenders. Filipino
522 hectares of land and in November 15, 1940 Fighters who advocated reforms against Spanish
the actual transfer of Muntinlupa facility was Government and who were not excused or put
established. The site was previously acquired by to death were sent either to Guam or the
the city to become the site for Boys Training Marianas Island or to Zamboanga. The prison
School. The Bilibid Prison in Manila was was named after its founder Capt. Ramon
renamed Old Bilibid Prison to avoid confusion Blanco of Spanish royal army. One of the
and presently known as Manila City Jail. This Filipino who fought for reforms and was
was constructed by virtue of Proclamation 414 considered an enemy of the Spanish
in 1931 as an enabling Order to Commonwealth government.
Act. No.3732 these official edicts were also the
official basis for the opening Davao Penal The San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm has an
Colony. area of 1,546 hectares. It provides product of
Copra – One of the biggest source of income of
The New Bilibid Prison houses maximum the bureau of Prisons. It also raises rice, corn,
security convicts including death row, electric coffee, cattle and livestock.
chair, chamber when it was still in use and the
lethal injection chamber. It is considered as one 3.Ihawig Prison and Penal Farm
of the biggest prisons in the world in terms of
the number of prisoners population. In 1946, another penal colony was established
in Ihawig Palawan on order of Gov. Forbes, then
New Bilibid Prison’s Satellite: the incumbent Secretary of Commerce and
Police. The establishment of this penal facility
1. Camp Bukang Liwayway – house minimum was made on the suggestion of Gov. Luke E.
security prisoners who work in the various Wright, who felt the need for an institution
project of the institution. designed for incorrigible offenders. An
2. Camp Sampaguita – located the Reception American constitution foreman left Bilibid on
and Diagnostic Center, the Medium Security November 16, 1904 with 16 prisoners and sailed
Unit and the Youth Rehabilitation Center. to Palawan to start building the colony thereat.
The Bilibid Prison specialized in the industrial Established on November 16, 1904 by virtue of
type of vocational training. It operates furniture Reorganization Act of 1407, Iwahig Prison and
shop, shoe mechanics and automobile body
Penal Farm as a destination for maximum at the time first contingent of prisoners that
security incorrigible prisoners. Instead, convicts opened the colony that covers an area about
who were well behaved and pliable were 18,000 hectares
assigned to this facility. The reason to convert
36,611 hectares of fertile lands into production In 1942, this colony was used as a concentration
areas for revenue and as a means to prisoner camp for American Prisoners of war. During the
rehabilitations. wat the Japanese soldiers devastated the
colony, destroying its building machinery and
Today, this Penal institution is considered as industries. In august 1946, the colony was
one of the open penal institution in the world. It reestablished and restored to its former
was from this facility that the term “Prison productive activity by slow reconstruction.
without Wall” had its beginning. With a land
area of 36,000 hectares the colony was divided At present the Davao penal Colony houses
into 4 sub colonies for a more practical medium and minimum security prisoners. They
consideration of easier administration and work in the open fields escorted by the colony
management. These sub colonies are: Santa custodial force.
Lucia, Inagawan, Montible and Central
The institution is now the main source of
Each sub colony operates as an autonomous income of the bureau prisons from its vast
institution under the management of a penal abaca, rice and agricultural products. The
supervisor. The colony allocated 1,000 hectares, colony has been engaged in a join venture with
which was distributed to release inmates who Tagum Agricultural Development Company
no longer had any desire to return to their (TADECO) in 3,000 hectares banana plantation.
original homes and who instead want to settle
2 SUB-COLONIES:
for good in Palawan is called “Tagumpay
Settlement”. The prisoners were awarded 6 Panabo and Kapalong, with each under a penal
hectares farm lots as homestead. supervisor. It has also a settlement site for
released prisoners who no longer wish to return
4.Correctional Institution for Women
to their homes but choose to remain in Davao is
On November 27, 1929, R.A 3579 was passed called as “Tanglaw Settlement”
into law establishing the CIW. This penal
6.Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm
institution was constructed on an 18-hectares
piece of land, in Mandaluyong. Before the On Sept, 26, 1954, the president of the Phil,
construction of this women institution prisoners issued Proc No.72 allocating 16,000 hectares of
were confined in portion of the Bilibid Prison. land in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro for the
setting up of another penal colony. The
In 1934, the position of female superintendent
Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm was established
was created to superintendent the operation of
to met the increasing population of prisoners
this penal facility. Today, the institute is run
that is already causing serious congestion.
entirely by female personnel with the exception
of the perimeter guards who are male. 7. Leyte Regional Farm
Industrial products – beads wallet, bags etc. Last Penal Facility to be built by the Bureau of
Prison in Abuyog. This was established in 1973
5.Davao Prison and Penal Farm
on the orders issued under the Martial Law by
Established in January21, 1932 by virtue of R.A President Ferdinand E. Marcos.
3732 and Proclamation No. 414. Retired Gen.
Paulino Santos the incumbent Prisons Director
