New Bilibid Prison transfer to Nueva Ecija gains ground
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — Regional Development Council (RDC), in a resolution Friday, expressed full support for the transfer of New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in a 500-hectare government property in Laur, Nueva Ecija.
Justice Secretary Leila De Lima graced the full council meeting to personally thank RDC’s move.
“The proposed P50 billion facility shall be the biggest public-private partnership project of DOJ and a first of its kind in the country. It shall be a big help in addressing congestion at the current NBP site in Muntinlupa City,” De Lima said.
It will be undertaken under a build-transfer-maintain scheme with the winning bidder turning it over to the Bureau of Corrections after the three-year construction period but shall continue its maintenance duties of the facility for 20 years.
De Lima assured the Governors present namely RDC Chair Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado of Bulacan, Aurelio Umali of Nueva Ecija, Lilia Pineda of Pampanga, and Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. of Zambales that the new facility shall have features that separate the so-called “high risk” prisoners from the rest.
It shall also have distinct and adequate space for women prisoners.
“We will start the bidding process within the year. We are holding an investor’s conference so that we can present the project design,” De Lima added.
RDC is the highest policy-making body in Central Luzon and serves as the counterpart of the National Economic and Development Authority Board at the subnational level.
It is the primary institution that coordinates and sets the direction of all economic and social development efforts in the region and serves as a forum where local efforts can be related and integrated with national development activities.
Council members include all governors, city mayors, municipal mayors of capital towns, presidents of municipal mayors’ league, regional directors of national government agencies and representatives from the private sector.
Prior to this, RDC III Chairman Alvarado together with the RDC III Sectoral Committee presented the 23 approved resolutions including the reconsideration of Clark International Airport as new location of Ninoy Aquino International Airport and its expansion and facility modernization, Central Luzon Tourism Action Plan and proposed construction of Pulilan-Baliwag Diversion Road Project.
He also discussed the utilization of the Port of Subic and the implementation of the road projects such as the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Phase 1, construction of Central Luzon Link Expressway (CLLEX) Phase II in Nueva Ecija, the rehabilitation of roads leading to ecotourism sites of Zambales and the long-term solutions to address perennial flood in the region.
“All is good. This is a clear manifestation that the provinces in Central Luzon are united in achieving sustainable development and progressive region,” Alvarado ended. (PIA)
