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Over 14,000 PDLs get their gang tattoos removed

Philippines | National

Over 14,000 PDLs get their gang tattoos removed

By Jeffrey Damicog

There are now over 14,000 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) who had their gang tattoos removed in prisons under the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor).

Bureau of Corrections
(MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)

“As of today, 14,437 PDLs have participated in the removal of gang tattoos and NBP (New Bilibid Prison) Maximum Security Compound is already a gang-free prison facility,” the BuCor said in a statement on Thursday.

The BuCor said the removal of gang tattoos of inmates continues under its Oplan Tatak Bura.

“The BuCor administration, under the supervision of Usec. Gerald Q. Bantag, actively supports and assists incarcerated persons yearning to be reintegrated into society after serving their sentences,” the Bucor said.

“The removal of visible gang-related tattoos may improve the PDL’s chance to return to society and open opportunities to free himself of the stigma of imprisonment,” it added.

On Jan. 2, the BuCor said there were 99 PDLs in BuCor facilities nationwide who participated in Oplan Tatak Bura.

They include PDLs from the NBP’s Security Housing Unit (SHU) which holds many high-profile inmates including drug lords.

BuCor’s Oplan Tatak Bura was prompted by the two gang riots that erupted at the NBP’s Maximum Security Compound on Oct. 9 and Nov. 9 last year.

There were nine inmates who died and seven others who were wounded during the riot on Oct. 9 while four PDLs were killed and 62 others wounded during the riot on Nov. 9.

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