CORRECTION The Department of the Interior and Local
ADMINISTRATION
(Institutional and Community Based
Corrections)
The Philippine Correctional System
Institution Based and Community Based
Approach
Both systems are being implemented on a
fragmentary basis by three (3) Departments of
the Executive Branch of the government. These
are:
1. Dept. Of Justice,
2. Dept. of Interior & Local Govt.,
3. Dept. of Social Welfare & Development
Department of Justice (DOJ)
Takes care of the National Prisoners. The
National Prison and Penal Farms which is being
supervised and administered by the Bureau of
Corrections (BUCOR) This is headed by a civilian
Director. Tasked to rehabilitate national
prisoners so they can become useful members
of society upon completion of their sentence.
These are the prisoners whose penalty ranges
from 3 YRS AND 1 DAY to LIFE
IMPRISONEMENT and those convicted with the
DEATH penalty or a fine of more than five
thousand pesos, or regardless of the length of
sentence, to one sentenced for violation of
custom law or other laws under the jurisdiction
of the Bureau of Customs or for violation of
immigration and election laws, or to one
sentenced to serve two or more sentence the
total of which exceeds three years.
NATIONAL PRISONERS are also referred to
under the law as Insular Prisoners.
1|Page
Government (DILG)
Takes care of the municipal, city and district
Jails. The Provincial Jails and sub-provincial jails
are operated by the Provincial Local
government Units under the supervision and
management by their respective governors in
each province and whose penalty ranges from
SIX (6) MONTHS and ONE DAY UP TO THREE (3)
YEARS;
the local jails namely, the Municipal jails, City
jails and District jails are under the supervision
and administration of the Bureau of Jail
Management and Penology (BJMP) and whose
penalty ranges from ONE (1) DAY to SIX (6)
MONTHS for Municipal Jail inmates, and for
City Jail inmates whose penalty ranges from
ONE (1) DAY TO THREE (3) YEARS. The district
jail may be created thereat if the monthly jail
population is less than ten (10) inmates.
What is a district Jail?
DISTRICT Jail is a consolidation of all inmates in
two or four municipal jails whose inmate
population is less than 10 monthly provided it
will be located near the Metropolitan Trial
Court or Regional Trial Court.The purpose is to
maximize the manpower and other logistical
requirements.
The Department of Social Welfare and
Development (DSWD)
Takes care of the sentenced Youth offenders.
which are located in the ten (10) Regional
Youth Rehabilitation Centers nationwide.
 RA 9344- Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of
2006
Under the law, children 15 years old and below
would be exempted from criminal liability while
youth offenders ages 15 to 18 years old could
only be criminally charged if they committed
the crime with discernment.
IMPORTANT FEATURES OF RA 9344
 It provides the immediate turnover of
children in conflict with the law to social
workers upon apprehension.
 If detention is necessary, the youth
offenders would be transferred to
youth detention homes set up by the
local governments and non-government
organizations.
 Created the Juvenile Justice and
Welfare Council under the Department
of Justice that would oversee its
implementation.
Twenty-two (22) years after the establishment
of the Bilibid Insular Penitentiary, the San
Ramon Prison and Penal Farms was
established 1869 in the Southern tip of
Zamboanga. The Zamboanga Peninsula was also
a banishment site for political non-conformists
coming from Luzon and the Visayas. This is one
of the reasons why our own national hero, Dr.
Jose P. Rizal who fought for reforms, which the
island colonial authorities found objectionable
and subversive to their tastes, was exiled in
Dapitan.
San Ramon Prison and Penal Farms was named
in memory of its founder, Ramon Blanco, a
Spanish Captain in the Royal Army
It was closed during the Spanish-American War
of 1898 but reopened in 1904 after the
victorious American grabbed possession of the
Philippines from Spain and the Americans have
established control over this colony. The land
area is 1,524.6 hectares The principal product is
2|Page
copra, which is the biggest sources of income of
the Bureau of Prisons.
In 1904, another penal colony was established
in Iwahig, Palawan on the order of Governor
Forbes, then the incumbent Secretary of
Commerce and Police. The establishment of this
penal facility was made on the suggestion of
Governor Luke E. Wright., who felt the need for
an institution designed for incorrigible
offenders. An American construction foreman
left Bilibid on November 16,1904 with 16
prisoners and sailed to Palawan to start building
the colony thereat.
In November 1, 1905, Reorganization act 1407
was passed into law mandating the Philippine
Commission to create the Bureau of Prisons
under the department of Commerce and Police.
Later, jurisdiction was assigned to the Dept. of
Instruction., the predecessor of the Dept. of
Education. Finally to the Dept. of Justice.
The Iwahig Penal Colony, as a destination for
maximum security incorrigible prisoners.
Instead, convicts who were well behaved and
pliable were assigned to this facility. The reason
to convert the 38,611 hectares of fertile lands
into production areas for revenue and as a
means to prisoner rehabilitations
Today, this Penal institution is considered as
one of the most open penal institution in the
world. It was from this facility that the term
“Prison without Wall” had its beginning. Iwahig
was divided into four (4) sub-colonies for a
more practical consideration of easier
administration and management. These sub-
colonies are 1. Santa Lucia, 2. Inagawan, 3.
Montible, 4. Central.
Each sub-colony operates as an autonomous
institution under the management of a Penal
supervisor. The colony allocated 1,000 hectares,
which was distributed to release inmates who
no longer had any desire to return to their
original homes and who instead want to settle
for good in Palawan. This is the Tagumpay
Settlement. The prisoners were awarded six (6)
hectares farm lots as homestead.
On November 27,1929, Republic Act 3579 was
passed into law establishing the Correctional
Institution for Women. This Penal institution
was constructed on an 18-hectare piece of land,
in Mandaluyong. Before the construction of this
women institution
Prisoners were confined in portion of the Bilibid
Prison. In 1934, the position of Female
superintendent was created to superintendent
the operation of this penal facility. Today, the
institute is run entirely by female personnel
with the exception of the perimeter guards who
are male.
New Bilibid Prison was constructed in 1936 in
Muntinlupa in a 552 hectares of land and in
1941 the actual transfer of Muntinlupa facility
was established. This site was previously
acquired by the city to become the site for the
Boys Training School. The Bilibid Prison in
Manila was renamed Old Bilibid Prison to avoid
confusion and presently known as Manila City
Jail. This was constructed by virtue of
Proclamation 414 in 1931 as an enabling Order
to Commonwealth Act No. 3732. these official
edicts were also the official basis for the
opening of the Davao Penal Colony.
The New Bilibid Prison houses maximum
security convicts including the death row, the
electric chair chamber when it was still in use
and now the lethal Injection chamber. It is
considered as one of the biggest prisons in the
world in terms of the number of prisoners
3|Page
population. The central office of the Bureau of
Corrections are also housed here.
Outside the compound and within the
reservation, three (3) other Satellite Prisons are
situated. These are the minimum security camp
called Camp Bukang Liwayway, the name
implying the coming release of prisoners
destined here. Miminum Security inmates are
those with severe physical handicap as
certified by the chief prison medical officer, 65
years old and above and not on appeal or
without pending case; those who served at least
½ of their minimum sentence or 1/3 of their
maximum sentence excluding Good Conduct
Time Allowance and those with only 6 months
to serve before expiration of maximum
sentence.
The second is Camp Sampaguita, which houses
medium security prisoners. Medium Security
inmates are those with less than 20 years
sentence, remand inmates or detainees below
20 years sentence, 18 years old and below
regardless of case or sentence, those who have
2 or more escape records but have served 8
years since recommitment, those with one
record of escaped but have served five (5) years
as maximum security and upon
recommendation of the superintendent
The Director of Corrections may grant GTCA to
an inmate for good behavior with no record or
disciplinary infraction or violation of prison
rules and regulations. GCTA is the statutory
reduction of a prisoner’s sentence for good
behavior during confinement under Article 97
of the Revised Penal Code. This is automatically
applied to all prisoners as long as he does not
commit violations of prisons rules and
regulations. GCTA is a kind of right that can only
be denied if the prisoner breaks the rules and
only after due process is observed
Good conduct entitles the inmate to the arising from conflagration, earthquake,
following deductions from his sentence: explosion, or similar catastrophes, or during a
mutiny in which the inmate did not participate
1. In the first two years of incarceration, 5
voluntarily submits himself to the authorities
days deduction for each month of good
within forty-eight hours following the issuance
behavior.
of a proclamation announcing the ending of the
2. From the 3rd to 5th year, 8 days
calamity.
deduction for each month of good
behavior Under Article 99 of the Revised Penal Code
3. From 6th year to 10 years, 10 days (RPC) GCTAs and STAs are granted by the
deduction for each month of good Director of Corrections
behavior; and
4. From the 11th year, 15 days deduction
for each month of good behavior.

GTCA may also be granted to a detainee to be

deducted from his sentence if convicted
provided that he voluntarily offers to perform
labor as maybe assigned to him during his
detention period. Such voluntary offer must be
in writing.

An inmate whose sentence is life imprisonment

but is on appeal is not entitled to GCTA.

GCTA cannot be revoked without a just cause.

GCTAs revoked for a just cause may be restored
at the discretion of the Director of Correction
upon recommendation of the Superintendent

In addition to the GCTA, a prisoner may also be

entitled to another five days per month
deduction from the sentence he has to serve
when he has been classified as a trusty or penal
colonist.

This is provided by Act. No. 2489, otherwise

known as the Industrial Good Time Law. Life
imprisonment is also automatically reduced to
thirty years imprisonment upon being classified
as a trusty or penal colonist.

Under section 98 and 158 of the Revised Penal

Code, Special Time Allowance (STA) for loyalty
equivalent to one-fifth of the sentence shall be
deducted from the inmates sentence if, after
the inmate abandoned prison due to disorder

4|Page