Over 600 prisoners released

Bureau of Corrections

MANILA, Philippines — Over 600 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) were released from prison facilities this month, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) said on Tuesday.

Of these, 86 were acquitted, 26 served their maximum sentences, 477 were eligible for good conduct time allowance (GCTA), 19 were granted probation and 24 were granted parole.

BuCor Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. said that between 5,000 to 10,000 more could be freed if the Supreme Court favors granting GCTA credits to heinous crime convicts.

Five hundred PDLs from New Bilibid Prison were transferred to Davao Prison and Penal Farm over the weekend as part of the bureau’s efforts to decongest the national penitentiary in Muntinlupa City.

A total of 11,347 PDLs have been released so far under the Marcos administration, BuCor said.

On the other hand, the number of PDLs released since last year marked “a significant progress in addressing prison congestion and enhancing the treatment of PDLs adhering to the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners,” said the Department of Justice (DOJ), the agency that oversees BuCor.

In a statement, the DOJ said it has also implemented measures to streamline the release process and improve management such as the digitalization of the single carpeta system and the lowered bail for indigent litigants.