Human rights week: CHR launches app computing remaining jail time

MANILA, Philippines — A free-to-use calculator that would allow persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) to check how much prison time they need to serve, considering the good conduct time allowance (GCTA), has been launched by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).

In its Advancing PDL Rights 2026 program on Friday, CHR and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) the Laya Calculator, which will allow people from different sectors — lawyers of PDLs, paralegal assistants, human right workers, judges, and jail administrators — to check whether release dates are coming soon or should have been implemented already.

UNODC’s Dr. Ian Nicollo Tobia explained that they worked with CHR in establishing a publicly-available calculator since the top request of PDLs across the country is to have a copy of their complete prison records so that they can counter-check their release dates, with GCTA factored in.

READ: DOJ, DILG push for digital records to speed up processes

“You saw a letter earlier, there is a letter flashed on the screen […] what was written on the yellow pad, on the left side, Dear Attorney Regalado, so-so and so, I am requesting for help to get complete prison record so that I can compute […] and know if my release date is coming near,” Tobia told attendees of the program held at CHR’s Central Office in Quezon City.

“And what we saw in that yellow pad, that is typical — every jail, every person we go to, people people want to know their records, what is the status of their GCTA, and the reality inside jails and prisons around the country is that it is very, very, very hard to get that information,” he added.

Tobia noted that the problem does not stop with getting information, as once lawyers get the prison records of their clients, it is very hard to compute remaining prison time — so hard that even judges encounter difficulty in computing.

“And then when you find that information, when you think you find the information, there’s another layer: it is very hard to compute.  So it’s also difficult to blame the jail and the prison administration system, or anyone who has the mandate to do these computations. Have you tried to do it yourselves?” he asked, before a judge attending the program attested to the computation’s difficulties.

“Probably the reason why they only compute when someone asks for it is, if no one is asking for it, it’s really hard to compute.  You go to any jail, even if they have computers, sometimes you have to figure out — what will I use, will I use my computer, through excel, or opt for my pen and paper, or a combination of computer, pen, and paper?  Go to any jail, go to any prison, you’ll find it’s actually very hard to do this,” he added.

The calculator, which can be found on CHR’s website (https://chr.gov.ph/gcta-calculator/), would allow lawyers to input the following data regarding their PDL clients:

• date of observation of sentence
• penalty period, or maximum and minimum penalty for crime committed
• custody dates, which include the arrest date, jail commitment date, and other possible circumstances like disqualification for GCTA
• time allowances, particularly credits and deductions

Tobia said they came up with the idea as a lot of sectors have been looking for ways to assist PDLs, especially amid reports that there are people who have been jailed for decades even if the crimes they committed or were convicted for only constitute a month’s worth of prison time.

“What we did today, what we’re presenting today and it’s my honor to present this, is a project that we conceived with the Commission of Human Rights, the idea of making calculators public. […] what we realized is that from the Public Attorney’s Office, for example, I hear that PAO lawyers want to know how to compute,” he said.

“I go to universities and the grad programs at the law schools over here, they also tell me that they want to learn how to compute […] Yes, many people want to know how to compute and how to help.  Outside of corrections, there is no system on how to do this.  And what we’re presenting today is CHR’s response to this demand, and we call it the Laya Calculator,” he added.

CHR Commissioner Faydah Dumarpa in an ambush interview after the event said that they are willing to help and train government agencies regarding the use of the Laya Calculator so that instances of PDLs overstaying would be avoided.

Also, Dumarpa said that the Laya Calculator seeks to assist anyone who has been jailed — regardless whether they are due for release after serving time because of petty crimes or have been meted the penalty of reclusion perpetua.

“It’s live, you can use it, we uploaded it to the site this morning, and we plan to disseminate and raise more awareness, no?  If we can talk to our judiciary, to our managers of detention facilities, the BuCor (Bureau of Corrections), the BJMP (Bureau of Jail Management and Penology) so that we can train them, we will do that,” she said.

READ: Commission on Audit flags congested PH jails

“Actually, our target is all PDLs, as Doc (Tobia) mentioned earlier […] even those sentenced to serve prison time for 40 years or reclusion perpetua are considered as qualified PDLs.  So this is for everyone, and we hope it can be promoted especially the recognition and proper documentation of their entry, their stay in jail, so that we can have a proper computation,” she added.

Over the years, there have been calls for the digitization of prison records within the BJMP and the BuCor.  During the 19th Congress, six lawmakers including incumbent Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos filed a measure that seeks to create a system where information about PDLs can be managed or shared.

If enacted, the system would allow law enforcement agencies and appropriate court personnel to view the information about the PDLs — enabling a quicker dispensation of justice.

This, in turn, would speed up the processing of PDLs with pending cases and eventually decongest detention facilities.

In 2022, the Commission on Audit said that BJMP and BuCor have unimaginably high congestion rates of 387 percent and 330 percent, respectively, resulting in unhealthy living conditions for PDLs. /mr