A total of 1,004 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) have been released from the prison facilities of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) from June 13 to July 4.
Of those released, 90 of them were freed during Friday’s, July 4, culminating activity held at the BuCor headquarters in Muntinlupa City.
The BuCor said that those released from June 13 to July 4 included 61 who had been acquitted of their criminal charges; 16 who had been granted probation; 16 who had been granted habeas corpus; 94 who had been granted parole; two who had posted bail; and 815 whose sentences had expired.
There were 52 PDLs freed from Correctional Institution for Women (CIW); one from Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm (IPPF); 1o from CIW- Mindanao; 136 from Davao Prison and Penal Farm; 109 from Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm; 50 from Leyte Regional Prison; 256 from New Bilibid Prison (NBP); 79 from NBP-Maximum; 62, NBP-Minimum; 17 from NBP-Reception and Diagnostic Center (RDC); 110 from Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm; and 113 from San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm.
As of July 4, the BuCor said a total of 24,583 PDLs had been released by the BuCor since the start of the administration of President Marcos.
“Dapat lang naman mabigyan tayo ng pangalawang pagkakataon sa ating mga buhay (We should all be given a second chance),” said Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla during a culmination activity for the release of PDLs at the NBP) in Muntinlupa City.
He assured that BuCor will continuously improve its system of releasing qualified PDLs nationwide.
He stressed that PDLs should not be imprisoned longer than the period they were sentenced to.