73 PDLS will be celebrating Yuletide with their families
Seventy-three persons deprived of liberty (PDLS) will be celebrating their Christmas and New Year with their families after they were released on Wednesday, Dec. 20.
Those released have either served their prison terms, completed their jail term through good conduct time allowance (GCTA), and have been granted parole, Bureau of Corrections (Bucor) Director General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr. said.
Of those released, 39 were from the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City; 8 from the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City; 16 from the Davao Prison and Penal Farm (DPPF) in Davao del Norte, four from Leyte Regional Prison (LRP) in Abuyog, Leyte' four from Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm (SPPF) in Occidental Mindoro, and two from San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm (SRPPF) in Zamboanga City.
During the culminating activity prior to the release, Catapang said: "Natutuwa tayong lahat na meron na naman tayong papapalayain (We are glad that we are releasing more inmates)."
Catapang expressed hope that the released PDLS will be able to go “back to their lives and that they are at peace with themselves and, of course, hopefully they are at peace with the people that they have hurt.”
At the same time, Catapang said he has signed the release documents of 31 more PDLS.
He said more than 11,000 PDLS have been released by Bucor since the start of the administration of President Marcos.
“Hopefully makarelease tayo ng additional na 5,000 to 6,000 next year (Hopefully we can release 5,000 to 6,000 more PDLS next year),” he said.
Meanwhile, Department of Justice (DOJ) Undersecretary Deo L. Marco expressed hope that President Marcos will soon grant executive clemency to qualified PDLS.
“More than 1,500 na ‘yung naisubmit namin na mga papeles doon sa Office of the President (More than 1,500 recommendations have been submitted to the Office of the President),” he cited.
He said the recommendations were made by the Board of Pardons and Parole (BPP) of the DOJ.