MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday proposed to have a budget of 4 billion to build a super-maximum security prison in Occidental Mindoro for people who have been found guilty of very heinous offenses.
According to Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, the government intends to accommodate 2,000 offenders in the “supermax” facility they hope to be constructed in the municipality of Sablayan.
“We’re looking at 2,000 people [inmates] lang naman eh. Maybe ₱2 million per prisoner when it comes to building a prison, maybe it will amount to that.”
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla
Remulla also said that he expects to finish it within 18 months.
“Meron na kaming agreement sa DPWH [We already have an agreement with the Department of Public Works and Highways], but we will finalize it in the fine print of the budget.”
“We’re doing the studies now, the design. Everything has to be in by the end of the year so that in new year, we will start implementing already,” he added.
The DOJ stated earlier that it is trying to decongest prison facilities, including the national penitentiary New Bilibid Prison (NBP), which, according to the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), has around 30,000 inmates, which is five times its alleged 6,000 capacity.