MANILA, Nov. 21 -- Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Friday raised alarm over severe overcrowding in the country's prison facilities, urging immediate reforms and adequate funding to improve conditions for persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).

During the plenary deliberation on the Department of Justice's (DOJ) 2026 budget, Sotto cited Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) data showing a 293-percent congestion rate as of Oct. 31.

The New Bilibid Prison (NBP), with a capacity of 5,678, currently holds 21,996 PDLs-or an occupancy rate of 387 percent.

Sotto said other facilities face a similar strain, including the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW), which has a capacity of 1,280 but a population of 2,940; the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm...