DOJ Finalizing Design Of ‘Supermax’ Correctional Facility

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is eyeing to start the construction of a “supermax” correctional facility in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro this year, DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla announced on Tuesday, Jan. 17.

Remulla said the DOJ and Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) are finalizing the design of the Sablayan Supermax Prison, which is expected to accommodate 2,500 inmates.

“There has been a presentation of the design for the Sablayan Supermax facility,” Remulla told reporters.

Asked about the DOJ and BuCor’s timetable, he said “in due time, this year hopefully.”

The Sablayan facility, which requires P4 billion in funding, is one of the DOJ’s projects to decongest prisons under BuCor’s supervision.

Meanwhile, DOJ spokesman Mico Clavano said the department has recommended over 1,000 inmates for executive clemency as part of the agency’s goal to release at least 5,000 elderly and sick prisoners this year.

Clavano said the DOJ submitted to President Marcos the names of more than 300 inmates qualified for executive clemency in September last year.

Executive clemency may come in the form of commutation of sentence, conditional or absolute pardon that can only be granted by the President upon the recommendation of the Board of Pardons and Parole.

“We followed up on our request with Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin. We told him that since we have President Marcos’ support, we hope that the inmates we recommended for executive clemency last September would be released,” Clavano told reporters.

The applications for executive clemency are part of the DOJ’s move to decongest BuCor facilities, including the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City, which currently houses more than 29,000 inmates even if it only has an intended capacity of 6,345.

Remulla earlier said the DOJ intends to release up to 5,000 elderly and sick inmates who have completed their maximum sentence by June this year.

Clavano said 500 inmates who were deemed qualified would be freed this month, making it the largest batch to be released since the agency started the monthly releases.

Based on DOJ data, 3,476 inmates have been released since June 2022.

The other congested detention facilities are the Davao Prison and Penal Farm, Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Palawan, San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm in Zamboanga, Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Occidental Mindoro, Leyte Regional Prison and the Correctional Institute for Women in Mandaluyong City.

Remulla said the repair of these facilities would require funding of P5 billion and could be done in two to four years.