TALAVERA, Nueva Ecija – Minimum security prisoners may further shorten their term by planting scheduled number of trees in the severely deforested Sierra Madre Mountain range once the New Bilibid Prison is transferred from Muntinlupa to an area within Fort Ramon Magsaysay in Laur, Nueva Ecija.
This was part of plan laid down by the original proponent of the transfer, former Nueva Ecija 1st Dist. Rep. Renato Diaz during the term of Pres. Fidel Ramos. Diaz, who recently wrote Pres. Aquino to revive his proposal, lauded on Saturday the announcement of the Department of Justice that the NBP transfer is being worked out amid plans to develop the present site to a P40-billion peso modern prison facility.
The announcement was made by Undersecretary Francisco Baraan III hoping this can solve the recurring controversies inside the overcrowded penitentiary, which include riots and allegations of anomalies in handling prisoners.
“Siguradong malaking tulong sa pagpapanatili ng kaayusan sa penitentiary ang presensiya ng military camp sa paligid,” Diaz said. Baraan noted that the proposed area in the military reservation is “isolated”, a condition that is expected to deter prisoners from escaping, including those categorized as high risk inmates.
Roberto Bolinao, retired city planning and development coordinator of nearby Palayan City, who also served as member of the Task Force Fort Magsaysay which identified 3,100 hectares within the camp for various purposes, including the NBP site, the transfer is also expected to create economic activity in its vicinity.
