Rappler's latest stories on new bilibid prison
Hidden victims of the pandemic: The old man, the jail aide, and the convict
Three persons deprived of liberty describe how inhuman conditions in the country’s jails and prisons are placing them at greater risk amid the COVID-19 pandemic
Kapatid slams BuCor for failure to inform families of prisoners' deaths
Kapatid spokesperson Fides Lim says humanitarian crisis inside congested prison facilities will never be addressed if authorities are not transparent
Second COVID-19 infection in Itogon another jail officer in Bilibid
The Itogon mayor says the town's 2 confirmed infections most likely contracted the disease in their workplace, the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa
In Bilibid, dozens die of unclear causes without being tested for coronavirus
PART 2 | EXCLUSIVE: At least 60 die a month in the New Bilibid Prison since the coronavirus lockdown, some from unknown causes. They are not tested for the coronavirus.
Concern over deaths in Bilibid mounts in the face of the pandemic
PART 1 | EXCLUSIVE: A newly-transferred prisoner dies of pneumonia without being tested for coronavirus. Those who came in contact with the prisoner are in quarantine.
Overcrowded Bilibid records first coronavirus case
The Bureau of Corrections says 40 other convicts are in isolation, while jail medical staff who had contact with the patient are considered suspected cases
Bilibid, all penal colonies coronavirus free – BuCor
There are no Persons Under Investigations (PUIs) at the New Bilibid Prison according to the Bureau of Corrections
All Bilibid returnees will be processed by March – DOJ
Justice Secretary Guevarra approves the grace period on one condition: 'Make sure they are properly fed, they are properly accommodated, and they are safe'
DOJ on aggrieved Bilibid returnees: They can sue us
'By their own acts, naipit sila sa loob,' says Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra
Taal ashfall hits Bilibid where returnees still sleep in covered court
Director General Gerald Bantag assures the returnees' safety with 'enough beddings including mosquito nets and blankets'
'Tao rin kami': Partner of Bilibid inmate decries 'traumatizing' strip search
Jimmylisa Badayos asks the Commission on Human Rights to help end strip searches at the New Bilibid Prison, one of the many issues hounding the Bureau of Corrections
1,525 returnees to spend Christmas in prison 3 months after GCTA controversy
Only 827 out of the 2,352 returnees have been released after reprocessing, the Department of Justice confirms
Fixing the Bureau of Corrections: Government walks a tightrope
Conclusion: The GCTA crisis is a symptom of an institutional problem inside the Bureau of Corrections. Will a Duterte-style approach work?
Caterer who fed P13-per-meal to inmates named BuCor superintendent
(UPDATED) Angelina Bautista, a retired jail senior inspector who used to cater prison meals budgeted at P39 per inmate in a day, is tapped as superintendent at the Correctional Institution for Women
Bantag tries to slay Bilibid's old monsters, Duterte-style
Part 3: Gerald Bantag literally bulldozed his way to get rid of shanties inside Bilibid on his first week. Will it work in fixing congestion and criminality? We take an inside look.
Bilibid returnees die in Duterte administration blunders
Part 1: Massive errors in record-keeping and ill-prepared facilities keep thousands in jail for months, and kill at least 4 convict returnees. They regret heeding the President's call.
1 prisoner dies in Bilibid every day, says new chief doctor
Only 13 physicians attend to 47,326 prisoners in the country's 7 penal colonies
After demolition, elderly prisoners sleep outdoors in Bilibid
(UPDATED) Makabayan lawmakers visit the New Bilibid Prison to check on the living conditions of inmates
BuCor restores family visitation rights in Bilibid
(UPDATED) Families can resume visiting inmates Wednesday, October 30
Agony continues for families shut out from Bilibid
'Anong mangyayari sa loob? Hindi natin nakikita, kasi nandito tayo sa labas. Maawa naman si General Bantag. Iyong rasyon, parang pagkain ng aso,' says a convict's wife, whose last visit was October 4
BuCor confirms death of inmates but denies 'crisis' in Bilibid
Dehydration or lack of medical attention did not cause anyone at the national state penitentiary to die in recent weeks, says the Bureau of Corrections
Bilibid inmates' families to BuCor: Let us see our loved ones
Families and rights groups urge the Bureau of Corrections to reinstate visitation rights at the New Bilibid Prison amid reports of abuses against inmates
IED explodes inside New Bilibid Prison
(UPDATED) An explosion hits the New Bilibid Prison's Maximum Security Compound Friday morning
LOOK: BuCor, police demolish shanties in Bilibid
'Hindi naman natin iniintindi 'yung galit nila kasi wala naman silang karapatan, pribilehiyo lang 'yan na inabuso,' says Bureau of Corrections chief Gerald Bantag
Bilibid hospital chief says 20% of maximum security inmates die every year
That means around 5,200 maximum security inmates die every year due to contagious diseases, natural causes, and stab wounds
Bilibid inmates file 1st Supreme Court case vs new GCTA IRR
(UPDATED) The petitioners argue the DOJ's new internal rules amount to executive legislation and violate equal protection
DOJ: 2,139 GCTA-freed convicts back in jail
The Department of Justice says 130 more previously released convicts have surrendered to authorities on Saturday morning, September 21, in line with President Rodrigo Duterte's order
Qualified convicts surrender, won't leave Bilibid without clearance
'They are asking for a certification from the BuCor that they will no longer be the subject of rearrest,' says Justice Undersecretary Markk Perete
Bilibid hospital has no showers, uses drums instead
'One hour in the morning and afternoon, parang buhos-buhos lang,' says Ernesto Tamayo, prison hospital director for health services, on time inmates have to shower
Ex-Bilibid inmate: I saw dozens of 'strong' prisoners in jail hospital
Former Bilibid inmate Jose Galario Jr says high-profile inmates kept cooks and watchmen inside the Bilibid hospital
BuCor officer survives Bilibid knife attack
The Department of Justice says the attacking prisoner suffers from schizophrenia
NBI ordered to probe 'hospital pass for sale' scheme in Bilibid
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra has ordered an investigation and case buildup following news of inmates who cough up money to use hospital facilities even though they're not sick
With smuggled phones, drug lords 'still control operations' from Bilibid
The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption says detained drug lords still manage to have cell phones, while some inmates 'post openly' on Facebook too, according to Senator Panfilo Lacson
'Gusto kong maiyak sa galit': Faeldon says first time to hear GCTA for sale claim
(UPDATED) Dismissed Bureau of Corrections chief Nicanor Faeldon claims no knowledge of the alleged anomaly in the agency that he headed for almost a year
'I can soundly sleep,' says Faeldon after sacking
(UPDATED) Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra says the dismissal of Nicanor Faeldon is an 'initial step to prevent the spread of a dangerous wildfire'
Duterte to decide fate of Faeldon, BuCor officials after GCTA law hearings
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo says while the hearings are going on, its status quo for Faeldon and the other Bureau of Corrections officials
Good conduct time allowance may be for sale inside Bilibid – Hontiveros
Faeldon says he does not believe he should resign
Lacson: Some convicts in Chiong sisters murder case now out of prison
(UPDATED) The senator says the release order was signed by somebody else, when the only person authorized to sign it was Bureau of Corrections Director Nicanor Faeldon
Lacson says 4 Chinese drug lords released from Bilibid in June
(UPDATED) The Bureau of Immigration says the 4 Chinese nationals are currently detained in their warden's facility for deportation
Amid Sanchez news, senators split on amending reduced prison term law
Senate President Vicente Sotto III wants to amend the Good Conduct Time Allowance law to exclude heinous crime convicts, but Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon disagrees
Retroactive law can slash 1990s convicts' jail terms by up to 19 years
The retroactive application of the law on Good Conduct Time Allowance will result in the mass release of around 11,000 Bilibid inmates
[OPINION] Bilibid: A semblance of Paradise
Bilibid is a prison, but it is a community – a community even more alive than the noiseless, walled, camera-secured, and luxurious villages we all aspire to live in
FALSE: Video of De Lima 'partying in Bilibid'
The video is actually of Senator Leila de Lima celebrating her 56th birthday in August 2015 at the quadrangle of the Department of Justice, when she was still DOJ secretary
De Lima wants court to charge Bilibid convicts in drug cases
‘It would be a complete travesty of justice should the Honorable Court sanction the arbitrary and wrongful exclusion from the Information of those who had actual participation in the illegal drug trade,’ says De Lima
Sandiganbayan sends former DPWH exec to Bilibid
The anti-graft court says it cannot grant the request of former DPWH Bicol regional director Eleno Colinares Jr to be confined in a hospital for cancer treatment
WATCH: 'The Butcher' is home no more
Once a decorated military general, Jovito Palparan is now just one among thousands of convicts inside the New Bilibid Prison
Suffer in prison? Palparan says he 'enjoys' Bilibid
'Hindi naman ako nahihirapan kasi mababait ang nakakulong dito,' says retired military general Jovito Palparan during his first morning at the national penitentiary
No VIP treatment for Palparan in Bilibid
(UPDATED) 'Kung kailangan niyang matulog sa karton, sa karton siya matulog,' says Bureau of Corrections chief Ronald dela Rosa
No budget to build new prisons, only additional beds for prisoners
The request of the Bureau of Corrections for an additional P5 billion budget to build 6 new prisons is turned down
Palparan to be moved to Bilibid soon – DOJ
The earliest would be morning of Thursday, October 4, says Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra
