A total of 1,297 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) from prison facilities of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) had been freed from Jan. 1 to Feb. 13 this year.
BuCor Director General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr. said the recent releases brought to 30,248, the number of PDLs freed since President Marcos assumed office.
Catapang said that those freed under the Marcos administration included 19,111 PDLs who had served their prison terms; 5,558 who had been granted parole; 4,431 who had been acquitted of criminal charges; 742 who were granted probation; 301 whose habeas corpus petitions had been granted; and 105 who were freed through other legal avenues.
Catapang assured that the BuCor is committed to reform persons still under detention.
At the same time, Catapang said the BuCor has been implementing the “Blue and Red Ribbon” project, an initiative aimed at collaborating with the private sector to provide job opportunities for the released PDLs and empowering them to build new lives.