MORE than 100 inmates at the Mandaue City Jail attend a ceremony before they were released on Monday, Dec. 22. (Photo courtesy of MyTVCebu)
CEBU CITY – This group of inmates at the Mandaue City Jail could have not asked for a better Christmas present.
Four days before Christmas, 108 Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) were released on Monday, Dec. 22, after they qualified for the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) under Republic Act 10592.
The law allows PDLs to earn sentence reductions through good behavior, participation in rehabilitation programs, and engagement in productive activities.
The mass release was conducted during the city’s Christmas GCTA-Based Release and Reintegration Ceremony led by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology in Mandaue City.
Jail Supt. Jessie James Gingoyon said the release was timely as it allowed the inmates to spend Christmas with their families.
More importantly, the release gives the inmates a chance to rebuild their lives.
Gingoyon said the mass release will also help decongest the Mandaue City Jail-Male Dormitory, which continues to deal with severe congestion.
The facility houses 1,659 inmates when it only has a capacity of 400.
The city government of Mandaue, led by Mayor Thadeo Jovito “Jonkie” Ouano, distributed Christmas gift packs to the released inmates.