Inmates 70 years, up get free pass
During Arroyo’s time, there was a law or executive order issued which allowed detainees release out of mercy and who are given parole
The Bureau of Corrections is considering granting executive clemency to elderly persons deprived of liberty aged 70 and above.
The BuCor said it continues with its plan to further decongest jail facilities nationwide
The plan was mentioned earlier by Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on the heels of a study about the elderly as not predisposed to return to being lawbreakers.
BuCor officer-in-charge General Gregorio Catapang Jr. said that such a practice was allowed during the term of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
“During Arroyo’s time, there was a law or executive order issued which allowed detainees released out of mercy and who were given parole. People of advanced age could no longer think of committing a crime,” Catapang said.
The BuCor OIC said they are studying that as well to decongest the BuCor.
Department of Justice spokesperson Mico Clavano earlier said Remulla would prioritize the decongestion of major jails under the BuCor, such as the New Bilibid Prison which was found to be over its capacity by 300 percent.
Clavano added that Remulla is seeking to transfer the maximum-security prison to the Sablayan Prison in Occidental Mindoro and the minimum-security to Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija.
Catapang said more than 1,500 elderly PDLs could be transferred to the facility in Fort Magsaysay.
Spare spaces available
He said there is a rehab facility in Fort Magsaysay that was not frequently used. Also, two bays could accommodate 1,000 to 1,500 PDLs per day.
Remulla’s order was to bring the elderly or those who are just waiting to be released to the military camp.
The report had it that several elderly PDLs have been praying to be included in the list for executive clemency.
Remulla’s order was to bring the elderly or those who are just waiting to be released to the military camp.
Based on the resolution of the Board of Pardons and Parole, PDLs who are eligible for parole or executive clemency are those who are 65 years old and above; those who have served at least five years of their sentence; or those whose continued imprisonment is inimical to their health, as recommended by a physician of the BuCor Hospital and certified by the Department of Health or designated by the Malacañang Clinic Director.
But PDLs who have been convicted of heinous crimes or illegal drug-related offenses, or otherwise classified by the BuCor as “high-risk,” shall not be eligible for executive clemency.