Philippines frees over 22,500 inmAtes Amid COVID-19

Manila: The Philippines has released a total of 22,522 inmates in an effort to decongest the country’s overcrowded jails amid a rising number of COVID-19 cases in the country, a Supreme Court official said.

Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez said the 22,522 persons deprived of liberty have been released since the lockdown imposed in mid-March to halt the spread of the virus. The Supreme Court said the inmates were released “either through bail or recognizance, or after serving the minimum imposable penalty for the crime they were charged.”