The sickly and elderly persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) will benefit from the executive clemency that will be granted by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
“Kung matagal na sa kulungan, matanda na, may sakit na at matagal na nakapag-silbi ay dapat po magkaroon na ng kapatawaran ng sangkalangitan sa pamamagitan ng kamay ng imprimatur ng Pangulo ng ating Republika (Those who have been in jail for a long time, those who are elderly and sickly deserve to get forgiveness from heaven through the President),” Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) Chief Persida V. Rueda-Acosta said during the “Laging Handa” public briefing on Monday, Sept. 12.
Acosta said those qualified for executive clemency are PDLs who are “70 years old to 100 years old, dying, sickly, elderly at nakapag-silbi na po ng matagal na panahon gaya po ng more than 20 years na sa kulungan (those who are between 70 to 100 years old, dying, sickly, and those who have served their jail terms for more than 20 years.”
Acosta said the President is expected to announced on his birthday on Tuesday, Sept. 13, those PDLs who will be granted executive clemency.
Executive clemency refers to “reprieve, absolute pardon, conditional pardon with or without parole conditions, and commutation of sentence granted by the President.”
Acosta said the grant of executive clemency is provided for under the Constitution and the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Act. “May qualifications po yan (It has qualifications),” she said.
“Hindi po basta nagpapalaya kaya pinag-aaralan pong mabuti (Executive clemency is not easily granted and must be studied well),” she stressed.
She said that PAO has been tasked by Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla to ensure that the grant of the executive clemency pushes through.
“Kami po sa PAO ay taga pag-aral lang, taga pag-analisa kung sino-sino po ang karapat-dapat na mabigyan ng pag-asa na makasilay ng liwanag sa labas ng kulungan (The PAO has been asked to study and analyze who should be granted the hope to see the light outside prison),” she said.
She also said the PAO, BuCor and the Board of Pardons and Parole (BPP) are working hard to submit to the President about 300 PDLs who would be recommended for executive clemency.
Earlier, Department of Justice (DOJ) Spokesperson Jose Dominc F. Clavano IV said: “It’s purely up to the Office of the President and the Office of the Executive Secregtary to choose kung sino doon sa mga qualified ang mabibigyan ng executive clemency (who should be qualified to be given executive clemency).”
The grant of executive clemency for those qualified PDLs would also help in the decongestion of BuCor’s prison facilities, Clavano said.