New Bilibid Prison

The New Bilibid Prison (NBP) is the main penitentiary located just outside of Manila in the city of Muntinlupa. It houses about 17,000 inmates and is the headquarters for the Bureau of Corrections. I got to visit a small outreach program run by the Evangelical Church of Muntinlupa. This was not inside the prison but about a 1/2 mile away. Although I have heard that there are various groups that actually work inside with the prisoners. The ECM primarily work with the children in the area - some happen to live just outside the prison walls, some are children of the inmates, and others are children of the prison workers.

This is the small gathering area that at least provides some shade. About 75 kids came out to sing, do crafts, listen to some teaching, and enjoy a snack. Thanks to the Generics Pharmacy we were able to provide each of the kids with some goodies including bibles and vitamins.

Some of the ECM volunteers that come to regularly teach songs and Bible lessons in Tagalog. They are super energetic and very smiley. Great to witness their enthusiasm. Today was about the story of Joseph.

A couple of side stories to tell: Not too far away from where we were gathered, there was a small area for animals and some young guys who looked like they were in charge of them. I got to witness two very large pigs get slaughtered. I'm not sure if the pig meat would be sold or used to feed the locals. If you want to become a vegetarian, I would highly suggest watching an animal get slaughtered. It will make you not want to eat meat for at least a couple days and maybe even a lifetime. 

The New Bilibid Prison has been in the news a couple times in the past 6 months. One story came out in December when the National Police raided some of the inmates' cells. There are some high profile prisoners including numerous drug lords. The raid resulted in many things being confiscated from the prisoners' possession - millions in cash, multiple guns, a Sony Playstation, 47 inch plasma TV, and a hot tub. Yes, a hot tub. Talk about some serious corruption going on. When the news broke out, citizens were disgusted. Some of the prisoners were relocated into isolation cells and a full scale investigation of the prison staff was launched. Wow.