11/5/2018 Bureau of Corrections/Facilities

Correctional Instiutiton for Women

CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION FOR WOMEN (CIW):
In a report dated January 22, 1959, submitted to a
committee created by Administrative Order No. 287 by
the President of the Philippines, it was noted that
“before a separate building was constructed especially
for women prisoners, all female convicts were confined
at the Old Bilibid Prison on Azcarraga St., Manila. The
male prisoners were confined in dormitories near the
women’s quarters. Because of these conditions,
vocational activities of the women prisoners were
limited to embroidery. When they became ill, the
women were confined in a separate building which
served as a hospital with nurses and prison physicians.
When women prisoners needed surgery, they were
operated on at the Bilibid Prison. After the operation,
they were transferred to the infirmary for
convalescence�?br>
Prison authorities were aware of the conditions that the
women prisoners had to endure. Consequently, the
transfer of the women to a separate site became
inevitable. After a series of negotiations started by
Prison Director Ramon Victorio, the Philippine
Legislature passed Republic Act No. 3579 in
November, 1929. It authorized the transfer of all women
inmates to a building in Welfareville at Mandaluyong,
Rizal and appropriated P60,000 for the move.
On February 14, 1931, the women prisoners were
transferred from the Old Bilibid Prison to the building
especially constructed for them. Its old name,
“Women’s Prison,�?was changed to “Correctional Institution for
Women.”�? This was in keeping with emerging trends in penology, which
emphasized correction rather than punishment. Convicts were brought
back into the social mainstream adjusted and rehabilitated with a better
outlook in life.

CIW, according to a Senate report, occupied 18 hectares. The original structure was a one-story building which housed the office, the brigades, mess hall,
kitchen, chapel, infirmary, bathrooms and employees�?restrooms. The building has a central courtyard with trees and flowering plants. The prisoners�?
vocational activities were expanded to include poultry and piggery as well as cultivation of crops, flowers and fruits. Living quarters for the institution’s
employees were later constructed in the compound. During the Japanese occupation, the CIW, despite a drastic reduction in the number of its employees,
continued with its work. A number of female military prisoners were also confined in the institution. They were later freed by the U.S. Army.

After the war, the CIW resumed its normal operations. Weekly catechism classes were introduced. A dental clinic was built. Local telephones were installed
in the guards�?quarters. The Bureau of Public Works made major repairs on the main building and a workshop and infirmary were constructed for the
inmates�?use. The infirmary during that time could accommodate around 16 patients.
In 2000, a new four-story building was constructed by the Department of Public Works within the grounds of CIW. It eased the growing congestion in the
facility. The CIW, with a capacity for only 200 inmates, had to accommodate 1,000 inmates.

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