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Manila Bulletin devider devider Duterte wants sick, old inmates released from jails

Duterte wants sick, old inmates released from jails

Published Sep 18, 2019 09:12 am
By Argyll Cyrus Geducos President Duterte has authorized the speedy processing of the release of old and sick inmates from the state penitentiaries, saying there is no reason to continue detaining them since they are no longer threats to society. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte delivers his speech during the oath-taking ceremony of the officers of the Malacañang Press Corps, Presidential Photojournalists Association, and Malacañang Cameramen Association at the Malacañan Palace on September 10, 2019. (SIMEON CELI JR./PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO/MANILA BULLETIN) President Rodrigo Roa Duterte delivers his speech during the oath-taking ceremony of the officers of the Malacañang Press Corps, Presidential Photojournalists Association, and Malacañang Cameramen Association at the Malacañan Palace on September 10, 2019. (SIMEON CELI JR./PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO/MANILA BULLETIN) The President said he would ask Department of Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra to fast track the release of old and sick inmates following the appointment of ex-jail warden Gerald Bantag as the new head of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor). He also claimed that some inmates do not want to leave prison because they are already used to the life behind bars, have embraced homosexuality, and do not want to leave their lovers behind. In an interview in Malacañang, Duterte said that those who have been imprisoned for more than a decade now have lost hope that there is life waiting for them outside the prison walls. He said that if they would be released, they would find a way to go back behind bars. "Maghanap ‘yan ng problema. Mag-holdup ng one time ‘yan, mag-enjoy, tapos gustong bumalik ng presohan. Kasi ang buhay nila for the last 20 years, nandiyan na sa kulungan. Kuntento na ‘yan sa kanila (They will look for trouble. They will rob one time, then enjoy it because they want to return to jail because they've been there for the last 20 years. They were already contented)," Duterte said Tuesday. The President also claimed that inmates have already developed intimacy with their fellow prisoners even though they are not homosexuals. "Karamihan nila 'yan ayaw nang umalis kasi may mga lovers na 'yan sila sa loob. At saka 'yan, 'yang naka --- 'yang lumabas na 30, 25 years, hindi na maghanap ng babae 'yan (Most of them want to stay because their lovers are there. They've been inside for 30, 25 years, they are not looking for women anymore). They have acquired latent homosexuality," Duterte said. "Hindi ‘yan sila bakla pero ‘yun na ang buhay nila doon. Nandoon ‘yung mga lovers nila kaya ayaw na ‘yang lumabas. Kasi sa labas, wala na rin silang pag-asa sa buhay (They are not gays but that's their life there. Their lovers are inside that's why they do not want to be released. Because they think they do not have a life outside prison)," he added. Duterte also said that the prisoners feel that they are considered outcasts in society. "Wala nang tumatanggap sa kanila at (Nobody accepts them anymore and) they are considered, whether we like it or not, the truth is they are considered outcasts," he said. "Kaya ‘yan ang come-on nila. May mga mahal na ‘yan sila sa buhay. Totoo ‘yan. At maghanap nang paraan ‘yan para bumalik doon (So that's their come-on. Their loved ones are inside so they'll find a way to come back)," he added.
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