Relocation of major prisons closer to reality

MANILA, Philippines—The planned relocation of the New Bilibid Prison and the Correctional Institution for Women under the public-private partnership (PPP) scheme has advanced to the feasibility study stage, according to the PPP Center.

The PPP Center announced over the weekend that funding support for the feasibility study of the proposed Regional Prison Facility Project was approved during the meeting of the Project Development and Monitoring Facility (PDMF) board last October 12.

“This means that we are going to hire transactional advisers to do the feasibility study of the transfer of New Bilibid Prison and Correctional Institution for Women to two sites,” said PPP Center executive director Cosette Canilao in a phone interview.

The Department of Justice (DOJ), through the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), will be the lead implementing agency of the project.

“DOJ’s proposal is to construct prison facilities in Nueva Ecija and Capiz and empty out the New Bilibid Prison and the Correctional Institution for Women,” Canilao said.

The proposed PPP project seeks to improve the poor state of penal facilities in the country such as the New Bilibid Prison and the Correctional Institution for Women, located in Muntinlupa City and Mandaluyong City, respectively.

The PDMF support will cover the preparation of a feasibility study, advisory services in developing and structuring the PPP option, preparation of transaction documents, and bid process management until financial close.

The PDMF is a revolving fund managed by the PPP Center and funded by the Philippine government through Executive Order No. 8, which reorganized the Build-Operate and Transfer Center and renamed it the PPP Center.

The PDMF is supplemented by the government of Australia under a technical assistance program of the Asian Development Bank and the government of Canada.