Visit Iwahig Prison & Penal Farm with a Puerto Princesa City Tour

Hopping Buddies Travel & Tours offers a Puerto Princesa City Tour that includes an optional visit to Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm. Because it is quite far from the city, not everyone who takes the tour is willing to visit the penal farm. If you are one of the many who are having second thoughts about visiting the facility, here’s what you have to expect from your trip. 

Overview

The Iwahig Prison and Penal farm is one of the 7 correctional facilities managed by the Bureau of Corrections. It is located at Barangay Iwahig and is about 30 minutes away from the city. The facility currently houses about four thousand inmates in its 37 hectare land.

History

If you include the facility in the itinerary of your Puerto Princesa City tour, your licensed tour guide will discuss a short history of the penal farm.

During the Spanish period, some prisoners were exiled to Puerto Princesa, Palawan. However, it was not until the Americans came that Iwahig Prison and Penal farm was established. It originally served as a place for prisoners who cannot be accommodated at Bilibid prison in Manila.

Inmates

The inmates are grouped into 3 categories or blocks: minimum, medium and maximum security blocks. Only those under minimum security can walk freely at the penal farm.

Including the Iwahig Prison and Penal farm in your Puerto Princesa City tour will give you the opportunity to mingle with the inmates in the minimum security blocks. You’ll find most of them hanging in the recreation hall, where there is a basketball court and badminton court. 

You may be wondering why, despite not being locked up inside prison cells, inmates don’t try to escape from this facility. Here are some reasons:

1. Prisoners are allowed to live with their families while they are serving their sentence.
2. Prisoners are allowed to choose vocational activities they want to learn.
3. It is dangerous to escape to the mountains. 

Inmates make a living by selling handmade items and snacks to tourists. So, if you plan to visit the facility on your Puerto Princesa city tour, bring some money for souvenirs.

Iwahig Prison and Penal farm is more of a community than a prison. Tourists who are initially afraid to visit the facility quickly become comfortable once they arrived at the farm because the prisoners are very accommodating and are regularly monitored.

Visit Iwahig Prison and Penal farm and other popular tourist spots in the city with an affordable Puerto Princesa City tour. Call us or send an email to know more about our tours and packages.