The Iwahig Facility has been on the top list in OPCR and this year, they have done it three times, consecutively. The Facility is located in Puerto Princesa and is also known as the “Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm”.

The Iwahig Correction Facility (ICF) was on the top with an average of 4.7153 given by the Bureau’s Performance Management Team (PMT) indicated on Resolution No. 01-s-2021 signed by Under Secretary Gerald Bantag, on March 17. The ICF also tops from January to July 2020 out of the seven prison and penal farms in the country.

According to Levi Evangelista, the ICF information officer CTO II, the scoring and evaluation of the Central Office was based on the 35 indicators from the monthly accomplishment reports on the paper validations.

“Ilan sa indicators niyan, si ICF na up to this time, wala pa ring escape and ‘yong peace and order nami-maintain naman din natin, wala tayong recorded prison violence. Iyon ang ilan sa indicators sa malaking naging puntos ng IPPF. Gayon din ‘yong mga disaster preparedness, nagkakaroon tayo ng dry run tulad ng earthquake drill, fire drill,” Evangelista said.

“Mataas, naging into another level si ICF, kaming lahat ay tumaas ang morale, level of work, ‘yong unity sa bawat isa. I believe ay hindi magagawa ng iisang tao, ito ay collaborative effort ng lahat ng personnel matapos na mailabas itong assessment na ito. Kumbaga nasuklian ng ganitong achievement ‘yong paghihirap at sakripisyo ng bawat isa. Nandito na tayo, mini-maintain na lang natin ‘yong submission ng reports, ‘yong indicators kung saan nag-top tayo. Since nandito na tayo sa top, i-maintain na lang ‘yong ating ginagawa. Kapag bumaba na naman tayo, ibig sabihin may hindi nakipag-cooperate o hindi ginagawa ang kaniyang trabaho that’s why i-maintain lang natin at magtulong-tulong ulit para mapagpatuloy this 2021.” he added.

The Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm have been established during the Spanish period. The facility serves as a place for offenders that were sentenced to banishment. The first prison’s director was
Superintendent Lt. George Wolfe.

Later on November 16, 1904, Governor Luke Wright authorized the establishment of a penal colony within the Philippines and serve as a depository for prisoners from the Bilibid prison in Manila that they cannot accommodate.

Colonel John R. White became the superintendent of Iwahig in 1906, the colony has become successful resettlement and lesser attempted escapes. The prisoners were offered vocational activities, including farming, fishing, forestry, carpentry, and hospital paramedical work. Prisoners could choose the vocational activities they wanted.

On August 16, 1959, President Carlos P. Garcia recreated a committee that to study the state of national prisons. The prisoners in Iwahig were divided into two groups (the settlers and colonists).

The ICF is subdivided into three districts such as Central sub-colony, Sta. Lucia, Montible and Inagawan.