MANILA, Philippines – Over 400 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) from penal facilities under the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) were freed on Monday.
“Hindi po namin ito titigilan as long as I am the Secretary of Justice magpapalaya pa po tayo ng mga qualified PDLs,” Remulla said during Monday’s event at the NBP reservation ground to mark the release of the PDLs.
[We will not stop releasing qualified PDLs as long as I am the Secretary of Justice.]
A breakdown of the released PDLs showed that 83 were from the NBP’s maximum security prison, 104 from the minimum security prison, 12 from the medium-security prison, six from its regional diagnostic center, 22 from the Leyte Regional Prison in Abuyog, Southern Leyte, 43 from San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm in Zamboanga City, and 13 from Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro.
Since June last year, a total of 3,476 inmates from seven penal facilities under BuCor have been released, including 1,608 from the New Bilibid Prisons and 781 from the Davao Prison and Penal Farm.
The release of qualified PDLs is also part of the DOJ’s efforts to decongest the country’s NBP and other BuCor-operated penal farms.
“This is my four months to be here at masaya ako sa paglaya ninyo ngayon. Marami tayong program pero marami ding balakid pero di tayo patitinag, we are in reform and transformation mode, pang matagalang pagbabago ang ipapatupad natin,” BuCor acting director Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. said.
The former military chief was appointed to head the BuCor after erstwhile chief Gerald Bantag was suspended in October last year after he was tagged as the alleged mastermind in the killing of veteran radio broadcaster Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa and Bilibid inmate Cristito Palana Villamor alias Jun Villamor, the alleged middleman in Lapid’s ambush-slay.