Three hundred and thirty-nine inmates were released by the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) from its seven prison facilities last August.
Of those freed, 106 had been acquitted of their charges, 19 had been granted parole, 26 had completed their maximum service of sentence; 156 had served their maximum sentence through Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA); 22 were returnees; one had posted bail; and nine had been granted probation, BuCor said in a statement.
Returnees are those who had been released through GCTA but were ordered returned to jail by President Duterte pending review of their records.
GCTA, under Republic Act No. 10592 that amended certain provisions in the Revised Penal Code, is a jail term reduction given to prisoners who show good behavior.
BuCor said that those released last August included 223 from the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City; 35 from the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City; 24 from the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm (SPPF) in Occidental Mindoro; eight from the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm (IPPF) in Palawan; 16 from the Leyte Regional Prison (LRP); 29 from the Davao Prison and Penal Farm; and four from the San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm (SRPPF) in Zamboanga.
Data released by BuCor last August showed there are more than 48,000 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) in its seven prison facilities nationwide.
This September, BuCor had released 19 PDLs from NBP, 12 from CIW, and five from DPPF.
Due to COVID-19 pandemic, BuCor said it has been expediting the release of qualified PDLs to decongest jails.