MANILA, Philippines -- While happy that Norberto Manero Jr. has finally been set free, some inmates are lamenting their own "over extended stay" at the national penitentiary.

Insiders at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) said there are around 40 to 50 other inmates who have already served their terms but whose release papers are stuck in the Department of Justice.

An inmate, who declined to be identified for fear of reprisals on top of a DOJ gag order, said several inmates who expected to be freed in December were told that the DOJ was still reviewing their cases.

During an interview before Manero's release on Friday, NBP Superintendent Julio Arciaga, however, said they have released since December around 10 inmates who had served their prison terms.

"The DOJ is still reviewing the cases of the other inmates to check if the terms are already expired and they are free to go," the official said.

Some of the inmates blame the delays and a tightening in restrictions to the snafu involving the mistaken release of former congressman Romeo Jalosjos last month.

"May mga inmate dito na galit kay Jalosjos dahil nga sa nauna niyang paglaya noon. Wala pang nakalalaya ulit (There are inmates here who are mad at Jalosjos because of his premature release. No one has been released since then)," the inmate who asked not to be identified said.

Jalosjos was released from prison on December 16. He went home to Zamboanga del Norte but was re-arrested immediately by police. The Department of Justice ruled that Jalosjos’ time was not yet up and he would only be eligible for release in 2010. Jalosjos’s December release order was said to be only a draft copy.

The inmate complained that Jalosjos had been granted many privileges not given to other detainees.

"If given the same privileges as Jalosjos, many other inmates would be free by now," the inmate added in Filipino.

He also complained that if Jalosjos was indeed granted good conduct time allowance (GCTA) of 15 days, other inmates at the minimum security compound should be given the same.

"But as far as I know, we are only given two days of GCTA a year. And some of us have been colonists for more than three years now... We deserve more," he said.

Other prison insiders claim that officials have also cancelled some of their privileges since the Jalosjos caper in December.

One was the "sleeping out" privilege, which allows minimum security prisoners to sleep outside of the minimum security camp, as long as they are inside the NBP reservation.

"Since late December, officials have revoked the sleeping out privilege although they have been allowing it again little by little last week," the insider said.

Jalosjos was already granted sleeping-out privileges before his short-lived release last month.

In the maximum security compound where Jalosjos was returned, prison officials have also limited the frequency of "stay-in" visits by immediate family members from every Saturday to twice a month.

"They have also disallowed children three years old and younger for stay-in visits," another source said. "Napag usapan na after Christmas na babawasan na nga ang stay in. (We were told that after Christmas these stay-in visits would be lessened)."

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