MANILA – People convicted in cases involving anomalous flood control projects will be sent to a “supermax” prison facility in Occidental Mindoro, Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr. said.

In a report, Catapang said renovations and improvements at the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm, which also houses those convicted of heinous crimes, are “almost done.”

“This quarter it will be finished, in case a facility is needed for those involved in the flood control,” he said on the sidelines of the second National Decongestion Summit on Thursday.

Congress has allocated P6 billion for the facility, which will be distributed in three tranches: P1.5 billion in 2026, P2 billion in 2027, and P2.5 billion in 2028, Catapang added.

Flood control suspects face charges of graft and malversation, with the latter carrying a penalty of up to 40 years imprisonment.

In a December 2025 television interview, Catapang said the BuCor is expecting 8,000 prisoners linked to the flood control scandal.

“There are 400 ghost projects, and each one of them has about 20 signatories. So, multiply 20 by 400 and you get 8,000. We have to anticipate if this is the number of personalities who will be imprisoned,” he said over Bilyonaryo News Channel.

Catapang also announced that the BuCor and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) will open next month a joint prison facility in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija, on a 60-hectare property donated by the provincial government. The facility will accommodate 3,000 prisoners and will unify jails managed by the BJMP with BuCor’s reception and diagnostic center.

“This will be the first joint facility between BuCor and BJMP,” Catapang said, noting that BuCor, under the Department of Justice (DOJ), secures convicted persons, while BJMP, under the Department of the Interior and Local Government, detains those awaiting trial.

Catapang also said BuCor has acquired properties in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and a 2,800-hectare property in Southern Leyte donated by the provincial governor. He said there are plans to place the BJMP under the DOJ to better monitor persons undergoing trial.