BRIEF HISTORY OF THE PHILIPPINE PRISON

By:
DR. ROMMEL K. MANWONG
- STUDY OF THE PHILIPPINE PRISON SYSTEM, March 2011 -

 The main penitentiary was the Old Bilibid Prison on Oroquieta Street
in Manila, which was established in 1847. It was formally opened on
April 10, 1866 by a Royal Decree. About four years later, on August
21, 1870, the San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm in Zamboanga City
was established to confine Muslim rebels and intractable political
prisoners opposed to the Spanish rule. The facility, which faced
the Jolo Sea, had Spanish-inspired dormitories and was originally
set on a 1,414-hectare sprawling estate.

 When the Americans took over in the 1900s, the Bureau of Prisons
was created under the Reorganization Act of 1905 (Act No. 1407
dated November 1, 1905) as an agency under the Department of
Commerce and Police. It also paved the way for the re-
establishment of San Ramon Prison in 1907, which was destroyed in
1898 during the Spanish-American War. It placed under the auspices
of the Bureau of Prisons and started receiving prisoners from
Mindanao.

 Before the reconstruction of San Ramon Prison, the Americans

established in 1904 the Iuhit penal settlement (now Iwahig Prison and
Penal Farm) on a vast reservation of 28,072 hectares. It would reach
a total land area of 40,000 hectares in the late 1950s. It was located
on the westernmost part of the archipelago far from the main town to
confine incorrigibles with little hope of rehabilitation. The area was
expanded to 41,007 hectares by virtue of Executive Order No. 67
issued by Governor Newton Gilbert on October 15, 1912.

 Other penal colonies were established during the American regime.

On November 27, 1929, the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW)
was created under Act No. 3579 To date, it is the only prison facility
for women in the country. The Davao Penal Colony in Southern
Mindanao was opened in January 21, 1932 under Act No. 3732.

 After the liberation of the Philippines, the colony-in-exile in Palawan

returned to its old site in Davao. A great deal of rebuilding and repair
had to be done because the war had almost completely destroyed
the colony. In 1953, the colony ventured into abaca farming. A few
years later, a new sub colony was founded in Kapalong district. In
the 1970s, the prison administration entered into a joint venture
agreement with a private sector partner to further explore the
potential of the area. Under the agreement, prisoners are to be
trained as part of their rehabilitation in agro-industrial production of
fruits like bananas.

 SABLAYAN PRISON AND PENAL FARM: Nearer to Manila than

other penal colonies, the Sablayan Penal Colony is located in
Occidental Mindoro and relatively new. Established on September
26, 1954 by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 72, the penal
colony has a total land area of approximately 16,190 hectares. Prison
records show that the first colonists and employees arrived in
Sablayan on January 15, 1955. Since then several buildings have
been constructed, including the colonists’ dormitories, employees’
quarters, guardhouse, schoolhouse, chapel, recreation hall, and post
exchange. Three sub-colonies were later organized. One is a
 reservation which this day remains part of a protected rainforest.
Another is in a coastal area. The third was used by the national
government as a relocation site for refugees from the eruption of
Mt. Pinatubo eruption in 1991. Sablayan prison is a facility where
prisoners from NBP are brought for decongestion purposes. It
follows the same colony standards as other penal farms.

 LEYTE REGIONAL PRISON: The Leyte Regional Prison (LRP),

situated in Abuyog, Southern Leyte, was established a year after the
declaration of martial law in 1972 by virtue of Presidential Decree No.
28. While its plantilla and institutional plan were almost ideal, lack of
funds made the prison unable to realize its full potential and its
facilities are often below par compared with those of other
established penal farms. The LRP has an inmate capacity of 500. It
follows the same agricultural format as the main correctional
program in addition to some rehabilitation activities. The prison
admits convicted offenders from Region VI and from the national
penitentiary in Muntinlupa.

 Owing to the increasing number of committals to the Old Bilibid

Prison in Manila, the New Bilibid Prison was established in 1935 in
the southern suburb of Muntinlupa, Rizal. The old prison was
transformed into a receiving center and a storage facility for farm
produce from the colonies. It was later abandoned and is now under
the jurisdiction of the Public Estates Authority.

 After the American regime, two more penal institutions were

established. These were the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in
Occidental Mindoro under Proclamation No. 72 issued on September
26, 1954 and Leyte Regional Prison under Proclamation No. 1101
issued on January 16, 1973.

 NEW BILIBID PRISON (NBP): The projected increase in the

prison population prompted the government to plan and develop
a new site for the national penitentiary. The growing
urbanization of Manila and constant lobbying by conservative
groups fueled the idea of transferring the Old Bilibid Prison to a new
site, which at the time was considered remote and on the outskirts
of the urban center. Accordingly, Commonwealth Act No. 67 was
enacted, appropriating one million pesos for the construction of a
new national prison in Muntinlupa.

 On November 15, 1940, all inmates of the Old Bilibid Prison in Manila
were transferred to the new site. The new institution had a capacity
of 3,000 prisoners and it was officially named the
New Bilibid Prison on January 22, 1941. The prison reservation
had an area of 587 hectares, part of which was arable. The prison
compound proper had an area of 300 x 300 meters or a total of
nine hectares. It was surrounded by three layers of barbed wire.

 The institution became the maximum security compound in the ‘70s

and continues to be so. The camp houses not only death convicts
and inmates sentenced to life term, but also those with numerous
pending cases, multiple convictions, and sentences of more than 20
years.
 After World War II, there was a surfeit of steel matting in the
inventory and it was used to improve the security fence. In the late
‘60s, fences were further reinforced with concrete slabs. In the
1980s, the height of the concrete wall was increased and another
facility was constructed, 2.5 kilometers from the main building.
This became known as Camp Sampaguita or the Medium Security
Camp.
 On January 22, 1941 the electric chair was transferred to New Bilibid
Prison. The death chamber was constructed in the rear area of the
camp when the mode of execution was through electrocution.
Today, it is a security zone where those convicted of drug offenses
are held.

 The NBP expanded with the construction of new security facilities.

These were the Medium Security Camp, which was used as a military
stockade during martial law and the Minimum Security Camp, whose
first site was christened Bukang Liwayway. This was transferred to
another site within the reservation where the former depot was
situated.

 The increase in the prison population has affected the segregation

system. Several foreign funded projects dot the prison reservation,
among them, the Half Way House and the Juvenile Training Center.
Both projects are supported by funds from Japan through the
representation of the Interdisciplinary Committee of National Police
Commission (NAPOLCOM).

 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”.

 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.

 FORT BONIFACIO PRISON: A committee report submitted to then

President Carlos P. Garcia described Fort Bonifacio, formerly known
as Fort William McKinley, as a military reservation located in Makati,
which was established after the Americans came to the
Philippines. The prison was originally used as a detention center for
offenders of US military laws and ordinances. After the liberation of
the Philippines, the reservation was transferred to the Philippine
government, which instructed the Bureau of Prisons to use the
facility for the confinement of maximum security prisoners. For
several years, incorrigibles were mixed with political prisoners
(those convicted of rebellion) at the Fort Bonifacio facility until June
30, 1968, when it was converted into a prison exclusively for political
offenders. After a bloody April 1969 riot at the Muntinlupa facility,
however, incorrigible prisoners from Muntinlupa were transferred to
Fort Bonifacio. During the administration of President Diosdado
Macapagal, the Fort was renamed Fort Andres Bonifacio. The
correctional facility was also renamed Fort Bonifacio Prison. The
one-story building now stands on a one-hectare area. The Fort
Bonifacio Prison continued to be a satellite prison of the national
penitentiary even after martial law was lifted. It was only in the late
1980’s that the facility was vacated by the Bureau of Prisons.

 IWAHIG PENAL COLONY: This facility was established during the

American occupation. It was however; during the Spanish regime
that Puerto Princesa was designated as a place where offenders
sentenced to banishment were exiled. A specific area of Puerto
Princesa was selected as the site for a correctional facility. The
American military carved out a prison facility in the rain forest of
Puerto Princesa. The institution had for its first Superintendent Lt.
George Wolfe, a member of the U.S. expeditionary force, who later
became the first prisons director. Governor Luke Wright authorized
the establishment of a penal colony in the province of Palawan on
 November 16, 1904. This penal settlement, which originally
comprised an area of 22 acres, originally served as a depository for
prisoners who could not be accommodated at the Bilibid Prison in
Manila. In 1906, however, the Department of Commerce and Police
(which later became the Department of Public Instruction) moved to
turn the institution into the center of a penal colony supervised in
accordance with trends at the time. Through the department’s
efforts, the Philippine Commission of the United States government
passed Act No. 1723 in 1907 classifying the settlement as a penal
institution. The settlement was at first beset by attempted escapes.
But under the supervision of Col. John R. White of the Philippine
Constabulary, who would become superintendent of Iwahig in 1906,
the colony became a successful settlement. A merit system was
devised for the prisoners and vocational activities were offered.
These included farming, fishing, forestry, carpentry, and hospital
paramedical work. Prisoners could choose the vocational activities
they wanted.

 In 1955, Administrative Order Number 20 was promulgated by the

President and implemented by the Secretary of Justice and the
Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources. This order allowed
the distribution of colony lands for cultivation by deserving
colonists. The order also contained a list of qualifications for
colonists who wished to apply for a lot to cultivate, the conditions for
the settler’s stay in his land, loan requirements and marketing of the
settlers’ produce. Lots granted did not exceed six hectares.

 On August 16, 1959, a committee was created by President Carlos P.

Garcia to study the state of national prisons. Accordingly, prisoners
in Iwahig were divided into two groups: the settlers and colonists.
The settlers are those engaged in farming for their own benefit; they
are the ones whose applications for land to cultivate have been
approved. The government furnishes the land and initial
requirements for tools, dwellings and beast of burden. They are
required to reimburse expenditures incurred for their maintenance
and that of their families out of the products of their farms. Upon
their release from the colony, they receive whatever amount of
money they have credited in their favor, after deducting the
obligations they have. Iwahig is subdivided into four zones or
districts: Central sub-colony with an area of 14,700 hectares; Sta.
Lucia with 9,685 hectares; Montible with 8,000 hectares and
Inagawan with 13,000 hectares. Recent developments and
presidential proclamations have dramatically reduced the size of the
prison reservation of Iwahig.

 SAN RAMON PRISON AND PENAL FARM: According to historical

accounts, the San Ramon Prison was established in southern
Zamboanga on August 21,1870 through a royal decree promulgated
in 1869. Established during the tenure of Governor General Ramon
Blanco (whose patron saint the prison was named after), the facility
was originally established for persons convicted of political crimes.
Considered the oldest penal facility in the country, prisoners in San
Ramon were required to do agricultural work. During the Spanish-
American War in 1898, the prisoners in San Ramon were hastily
released and the buildings destroyed. In 1907, the American
administration re-established the prison farm. In 1912, Gen. John
Pershing, chief executive of the Department of Mindanao and Sulu,
classified the institution as a prison and penal colony and therein
 confined people sentenced by the courts under his jurisdiction.
Under Pershing’s supervision, several buildings with a capacity for
600 prisoners were constructed. After several years, the colony
became practically self supporting, with 75,000 coconut trees, which
were planted at the beginning of Pershing’s administration,
contributing to the colony’s self-sufficiency. Aside from coconuts,
rice, corn, papaya and other crops were also cultivated. On
November 1, 1905, Reorganization Act No. 1407 was approved
creating the Bureau of Prisons under the Department of Commerce
and Police, integrating the Old Bilibid Prison, San Ramon Penal
Colony and Iwahig Penal. The Philippine Coconut Authority took
over management of the coconut farm from San Ramon. In 1995,
Congresswoman Maria Clara Lobregat proposed the transfer of San
Ramon Prison to Bongiao town, in the mountainous area of
Zamboanga, to give way to a special economic zone.

 DAVAO PENAL COLONY: The Davao Penal Colony is the first penal
settlement founded and organized under Filipino administration.
The settlement, which originally had an area of approximately 30,000
hectares in the districts of Panabo and Tagum, Davao del Norte, was
formally established on January 21, 1932 by virtue of Act No. 3732.
This Act authorized the Governor-General to lease or sell the lands,
buildings and improvements in San Ramon Prison and Iwahig Penal
Colony. It also granted authority to the Secretary of Justice to
establish a new prison and penal colony in a suitable public land. A
budget of P500,000 was allocated. Several committees were created
to pick a suitable site for the penal settlement. In accordance
with the recommendation of these committees, Governor Dwight
Davis signed Proclamation No. 414 on October 7, 1931, which
reserved a site for the penal colony in Davao province in
Mindandao. The site offered ideal conditions for agricultural
activities. During World War II, the colony was converted into a
concentration camp where more than 1,000 Japanese internees were
committed by the Philippine-American Armed Forces. The Japanese
were treated in accordance with the orders of the American
commanding officer.

 On December 20, 1941, the Japanese Imperial Forces attacked Davao

and the colony was among the establishments taken over by the
invading army. The entire settlement was thrown into confusion and
a great number of prisoners escaped. Normal operations were
inevitably disturbed. November 8, 1942, a representative of the
Director of Prisons transferred the colony and its properties to the
Japanese authorities. The remaining colony employees, their
families and the inmates evacuated to Iwahig where they organized
the Davao Penal Colony at Inagawan sub colony (Palawan). The
organization of the colony in exile was authorized by virtue of
Memorandum Order No. 60 dated June 28, 1943 and signed by the
Director of Prisons.

 In 1940, the entire prison population including security facilities and

equipment were transferred to a new site in Muntinlupa. A portion
was left to serve as the Manila office of the Bureau of Prisons.
Remaining edifices were used to house the Manila City Jail. The
office was used as a holding center for inmates with pending court
cases in the City of Manila. In 1980, however, when the national
leadership moved to claim the area for another project, the remaining
office was transferred to New Bilibid Prison. It has since been
 reclaimed and turned into a station of the Mass Railway System
traversing the area. The prison occupied a quadrangular piece of
land 180 meters long on each side, which was formerly a part of the
Mayhalique Estate in the heart of Manila. It housed a building for the
offices and quarters of the prison warden, and 15 buildings
or departments for prisoners that were arranged radially to form
spokes. The central tower formed the hub. Under this tower was the
chapel. There were four cell-houses for the isolated prisoners and
four isolated buildings located on the four corners of the walls,
which served as kitchen, hospital and stores. The prison was
divided in the middle by a thick wall. One-half of the enclosed
space was assigned to Presidio prisoners and the other half to
Carcel prisoners. The Laurel report continued: “In 1908, a concrete
modern hospital with a capacity of 200 beds as well as
new dormitories for the prisoners, were added.” A carpentry shop
was organized within the confines of the facility. For some time, the
shop became a trademark for fine workmanship of furniture
made by prisoners. At the time, sales of handicrafts were done
through the institutions and inmates were compensated depending
on the availability of funds. As a consequence, inmates often had
to sell or barter their products.

 The Bureau of Prisons was renamed Bureau of Corrections under the

New Administrative Code of 1987 and Proclamation No. 495 issued
on November 22, 1989. It is one of the attached agencies of the
Department of Justice.

 In the early days of the Bureau of Corrections (formerly Bureau of

Prisons), penal institutions were established, closed or transferred to
new sites. These included the Old Bilibid Prison, New Bilibid Prison,
and Correctional Institution for Women, Fort Bonifacio Prison,
Iwahig Penal Colony (now Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm), San
Ramon Prison and Penal Farm, Davao Prison and Penal Farm,
Bontoc Prison, Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm and Leyte Regional
Prison.

 OLD BILIBID PRISON: A 1969 Senate Report prepared by Senator

Salvador Laurel described the Old Bilibid Prison as “the main insular
penitentiary designed to house the prison population of the
country.” This prison was known as the “Carcel y Presidio
Correccional” and could accommodate 1,127 prisoners. The Carcel
was designed to house 600 prisoners who were segregated
according to class, sex and crime while the Presidio could
accommodate 527 prisoners.