850 prisoners released from July to August

A TOTAL of 850 prisoners or persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) have been released from July to August, Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang said.

The most recent was the release of 81 PDLs from different penal institutions last August 30, Catapang said.

The freed prisoners had either completed their term, were pardoned or paroled, and were granted good conduct time allowance (GCTA) benefits.

BuCor Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. Photo from official page of the Bureau of Corrections

The New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) had the highest number of released prisoners, with 459, followed by the Davao Prison and Penal Farm (DPPF), with 135.

In a statement, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla lauded the BuCor for its successive releases of PDLs as part of government effort to decongest penal facilities.

«When I took the helm of the DoJ (Department of Justice), the country's penal facilities were at an all-time high in terms of population and congestion. However, with the unwavering efforts and dedication of the hardworking men and women of the DoJ and the BuCor, a modernized corrections system is now within reach,» Remulla said.

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He vowed more prisoners would be released before the year ends, in line with the government's vision of having a «compassionate justice system.»