BuCor wants to help Philippine attain food security

MANILA, Philippines — Aside from decongesting the national penitentiary, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) wants its facilities tapped for the government’s food security efforts.

BuCor chief Gregorio Catapang Jr. said the bureau would acquire properties and build facilities where inmates would be trained to become productive and contribute to the government.

Catapang said the BuCor is brokering a land swap deal with the Department of National Defense (DND).

He said the BuCor would trade portions of its land in Palawan and other parts of the country with DND’s properties at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Camp Peralta in Capiz and Camp Kibaritan in Bukidnon.

He said the camps, which cover about 45,000 hectares each, would become productive under BuCor’s stewardship.

“We want BuCor and the inmates to be relevant to food security,” Catapang said in an interview with OneNews’ “The Chiefs” aired last Saturday over Cignal TV/TV5.

“We should never underestimate the inmates because they are capable of producing large amounts of food. Because of the vastness of our land, we can help the government achieve food security,” he said.

The government’s reformation initiative for sustainable environment for food security project was signed last month by the Departments of Agriculture and Justice.

The project aims to help prisoners hone their skills in agriculture and rehabilitate BuCor’s land and penal farms.

Around 500 hectares of BuCor’s property in Palawan will be developed into agri-tourism sites and food production areas.