The Philippine Penal Colonies The Iwahig Penal Colony The Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm is one of the most popular prisons in the Philippines. Iwahig Penal Colony was established in the early 1900's and to this date it's still operational. It is where criminals from other parts of the country were sent, jailed and forced to do hard labor while serving their sentence. Later on, the reformed ones are allowed to roam within the compound and mingle with the community while the "hard cores" remain in maximum confinement. Within the compound, there are farmstead tended by former prisoners who, after serving their sentence, have decided to stay in PP and start a new life. The Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm was originally set up in 1902 by the United tates to house Philippine prisoners who had fought againt the American colonization of the Philippines. Today, situated on the lush island of Palawan, only 30 minutes by road from Puerto Princesa City, Iwahig is unique among penal institutions. Despite the fact that most of the 2,300 inmates have been convicted o homicide, the majority are minimum security prisoners and are thus not locked up within the colony. Instead, these minimum security inmates live in dormitories and work on one of the many agricultural projects located within the prison farm. Prisoners who are deemed to be at risk of escaping are confined to medium or maximum security areas, where they are monitored, but these prisoners comprise less than fifty percent of the Iwahig population. Founded by the American colonial administration in 1904, The Iwahig prison on the island of Palawan in the Philippines is an open air penal colony covering 38,000 hectares of jungle and coastland. After a probationary period, long-term prisoners are allowed to become farmers, fishermen or wardens, as the prison is self-supporting and self-managed. The “lifers’” families organise their own community existence. Alejandro will soon be released. As “mayor” of the 2,300 prisoners, he acts as an experienced mentor for various inmates, such as Toting the fisherman or Rodrigo, a domestic that rebels against his boss, a violent warden. In the prison court, Alejandro acts as the prisoners’ lawyer, since he knows about everything that is going on. When he is finally released, he starts life all over again with his reconquered rights and a feeling of dignity. Photos of Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm As part of their rehabilitation, prison inmates receive instruction in this elementary school. Aside from classrrom and vocational instruction, prisoners are also given lessons in household arts and handicrafts in the Gusali ng Karunungang Pantahanan. The gateway to the Inagawan sub- colony of Iwahig, where prison hamlets are found. Entrance to Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm Old Colonial Building, now the Prison Recreational Yard Iwahig Prison Souvenir Shop(inside) Entrance to the Recreational Hall In Iwahig Prison The Souvenir Shop at Iwahig Prison (outside) Bilibid Prison Old Bilibid Prison The Old Bilibid Prison, then known as Carcel y Presidio Correccional (Spanish, "Correctional Jail and Military Prison") occupied a rectangular piece of land which was part of the Mayhalique Estate in the heart of Manila. The old prison was established on June 25, 1865 under a Spanish royal decree. It is divided into two sections the Carcel Section which could accommodate 600 inmates and the Presidio, which could accommodate 527prisoners. Due to increasing crime, the Philippine Government enacted Commonwealth Act No. 67[1] and a new prison was built in Muntinlupa on 551 hectares of land at an area considered at that time to be "remote". Construction began in 1936 with a budget of one million pesos.[1] In 1940, the prisoners, equipment and facilities were transferred to the new prison. The remnants of the old facility was used by the City of Manila as its detention center then known as Manila City Jail. In 1941 the new facility was officially named "The New Bilibid Prison" New Bilibid Prison The New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City, Philippines, is the main insular penitentiary designed to house the prison population of the Philippines. It is maintained by the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) under the Philippine Department of Justice. As of October 2004, it has an inmate population of 16,747. The penitentiary had an initial land area of 551 hectares. One hundred four hectares of the facility were transferred to a housing project of the Department of Justice. San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm San Ramon Penal Colony is considered by correctional experts as the second oldest penitentiary in the country but the closure of the Old Bilibid Prison in 1940 made San Ramon as the oldest existing penitentiary today. Other historical accounts suggest, San Ramon Prison was established on August 31, 1870 through a royal decree promulgated in 1869. It was established during the tenure of Governor General Ramon Blanco (whose patron saint the prison was named after), the facility was originally established for persons convicted of political crimes. San Ramon was destined to be a center of experiments in manner of government as well as variety of products. Strengthening the historical claim on San Ramon Penal Colony is the presence of the marker says; Al Ilustre Fundador De Esta Colonia Exmo Senor Teniente General Don Ramon Blanco Y Erenas Marque de Pena Plata 31 Agosto 1870. According to his research, San Ramon was closed down during the Spanish-American war when it sustained damaged. In 1899, Spanish rule in the Philippines ceased following their defeat to the Americans. Some 1000 political prisoners in the colony were given back their freedom by the American authorities. All the buildings, warehouses etc., were burned to the ground, except the sugar mill and saw mill buildings. After the war San Ramon was later re-established by the Americans. When the American took over in the 1900s, the Bureau of Prisons was created under the Department of Commerce and Police. On 19 November 1906, American governor James Smith issued executive order No. 47 defining the total land area of San Ramon Farm to contain 1,414.68 hectares. Gateway to the penal colony established on August 31, 1870, some 22 km. from the city proper. The site was originally agricultural land employing prison labor. The Executive Building, erected in 1927, when Valentin Macasaet was the prison superintendent. At the rear are the prison cells where new inmates and hardened criminals are detained. Davao Prison and Penal Farm The Davao Prison and Penal Farm is the first and one of the oldest and most recognized penal colonies in the Philippines. Located in Santo Tomas, Davao del Norte, the penal colony is sprawled at the vast Tadeco Banana Plantation. Formerly known as the Davao Penal Colony,the Davao Prison and Penal Farm was built on January 21, 1932. It was established within a 5, 212-hectare of land and was supervised by Bureau of Corrections and the Department of Justice. The Bureau of Corrections, alongside with the Department of Justice is geared towards the training and reformation of the prisoners. These two departments also aims to teach the prisoners how to read, write, do jobs like carpentry, wood carving, barbering, basic appliance repairing, plumbing, shoe making. By uplifting their literacy and awareness, the prisoners will learn how to be responsible citizens especially when out of the prison. To date, there are approximately 2,863 prisoners detained at the Davao Prison and Penal. With them are around 187 jail guards and the colony's personnels. Wood carvings by DAPECOL prisoners: a sala table, picture frames, paper weights, and canes. The hardwood used for the carvings comes from the forest located within the colony. Inmates stripping abaca from hemp stalks. Those in the colony observe regular working hours and roam freely, with minimum supervision. Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm “Sprawled on a 16, 190-hectare land area, the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm is one of the prisons nearer to Metro Manila. According to records and file, the Sablayan prison firsthoused colonist, employees and prisoners on January 15, 1955. Since its establishment, the prison is continuously improved through construction of several buildings, including dormitories, employee‟s quarter, guardhouse, schoolhouse, chapel, recreational hall and post exchange. The Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm is also where prisoners from New Bilibid Prison are brought for decongestion purposes. It follows the same colony standards as other penal farms.” Historical Overview of Philippine Corrections The Pre-colonial and Spanish Regimes: During the pre-colonial times, the informal prison system was community-based, as there were no national penitentiaries to speak of. Natives who defied or violated the local laws were meted appropriate penalties by the local chieftains. Incarceration in the community was only meant to prevent the culprit from further harming the local residents. The formal prison system in the Philippines started only during the Spanish regime, where an organized corrective service was made operational. Established in 1847 pursuant to Section 1708 of the Revised Administrative Code and formally opened by Royal Decree in 1865, the Old Bilibid Prison was constructed as the main penitentiary on Oroquieta Street, Manila and designed to house the prison population of the country. This prison became known as the “Carcel y Presidio Correccional” and could accommodate 1,127 prisoners. The Carcel was designed to house 600 prisoners who were segregated according to class, sex and crime while the Presidio could accommodate 527 prisoners. Plans for the construction of the prison were first published on September 12, 1859 but it was not until April 10, 1866 that the entire facility was completed. The prison occupied a quadrangular piece of land 180 meters long on each side, which was formerly a part of the Mayhalique Estate in the heart of Manila.