Dialogue set to settle BuCor-Munti row over prison wall

MANILA – Department of Justice Secretary (DOJ) Menardo Guevarra will meet with prison and community officials next week to discuss the road block project in the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City, a facility under the Bureau of Corrections (Bucor).

“We’re supposed to have a meeting with the local government unit, DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways, and NHA (National Housing Authority) officials at the NBP but we may have to reset it in view of the ECQ (Enhanced Community Quarantine),” Guevarra said in a statement on Monday.

An ocular inspection may also be conducted next week, he added.

Built in 1940, NBP originally had an area of 551 hectares but the property has since been reduced following development in nearby areas, including the 104-hectare NHA Southville 3 for government employees.

A concrete wall is being put up by BuCor along the Insular Prison Road, inside the NBP Reservation, that is used for access by residents who are protesting the construction.

On March 22, the Muntinlupa and Barangay Poblacion councils approved resolutions requesting the opening of the road going to and from NHA Southville 3.

The Barangay Poblacion resolution condemned the construction of the brick wall while the city resolution requested the DOJ to order BuCor to reopen the road going to and from Southville 3.

The city council likewise requested Muntinlupa Representative Ruffy Biazon to conduct an investigation into the closure.

Biazon already released a statement the “wall is illegal and is a nuisance as defined by Article 694 of the Civil Code as it obstructs and interferes with the free passage of a public highway or street.”

“The wall compromises the safety, security, and health of Southville 3 residents because it is blocking the most accessible entry into Southville 3, which will enable police, fire, and emergency services to quickly respond should the need arise,” his statement read, adding that no coordination with Muntinlupa and Barangay Poblacion was made.

BuCor spokesperson Gabriel Chaclag said the wall that will close down the path between NHA Southville 3 and the NBP’s minimum security compound is for security enforcement.