Marcos Jr. orders DOJ to continue releasing prisoners qualified for parole

BITTERSWEET REUNION A detainee from the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) hugs her ailing husband, an inmate of New Bilibid Prison (NBP), in a rare kind of reunion arranged by the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) in December 2022. Up to Jan. 1, 2023, BuCor is allowing batches from the CIW to visit their spouses or sons at NBP, all for humanitarian reasons and because it’s Christmas. INQUIRER file photo / RICHARD A. REYES

MANILA, Philippines — To decongest the country’s jails, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Tuesday instructed the Department of Justice (DOJ) to continue releasing inmates, or persons deprived of liberty (PDLs), who are qualified for parole.

According to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), Marcos made the order during a Cabinet meeting in Malacañang on Tuesday.

During the meeting, Marcos said that based on his experience as governor of Ilocos Norte, most of the PDLs are languishing in jail because they can’t afford the services of good lawyers.

“Wala naman silang magaling na abugado. So that’s why we are in favor now to release many of them,” Marcos said, as quoted by PCO.

(They don’t have good lawyers, so that’s why we are in favor now to release many of them.)

“They just needed representation to set them free. So let’s continue with that,” he added.

The President also backed DOJ’s plan to transfer hardened criminals to an Alcatraz-type prison, which would isolate them from the general jail population and put a stop to their criminal activities, especially some of them were still able to direct operations while behind bars.

He also pointed to the rampant corruption inside the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) as he underscored the need for inmates’ transfer to special facilities.

“Iyan ‘yung mga ganoon we have to do that para hindi na maka-contact. Alam mo, we have to isolate them properly,” Marcos said.

(We have to isolate them so that they can no longer have contacts.)

In its 2022 accomplishment report, the DOJ said it released almost 3,000 PDLs from July to December 2022 as an immediate step to decongest correctional facilities.

The DOJ also fast-tracked the processing of the release of qualified prisoners by digitalizing the systems of the Probation and Parole Administration.

This year, the PCO said the justice department is eyeing to decongest prison facilities by transferring the maximum security compound in Muntinlupa City to a dedicated correctional facility in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro.

The DOJ is also planning to establish separate heinous crime facilities in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

For the first time, the BuCor allowed last December “inmate to inmate” visits, where inmates were allowed to visit loved ones held in another prison.

On Christmas and New Year’s Day, the BuCor allowed 300 inmates from the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City to visit their husbands at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City.

JPV