The Department of Justice on Thursday announced that 117 persons deprived of liberty have been confirmed eligible for parole, while 424 more are awaiting clearance from the National Bureau of Investigation to be deemed eligible for parole under the simplified guidelines.
Citing a report from the Board of Pardons and Parole, Justice Undersecretary Markk Perete said 117 PDLs have been confirmed eligible for parole under the Interim Guidelines for Parole and Executive Clemency.
“Another 424 PDLs are likewise deemed possible eligible for parole under the said guidelines but await clearance from (NBI) before their eligibility is confirmed,” Perete said in a statement.
The initial batch of confirmed and possible beneficiaries under the Interim Guidelines—which so far total 541 PDLs—came from the 600 PDLs whose carpetas have been transferred by Bureau of Corrections to the BPP for evaluation. The BPP is set to receive a new batch of carpetas for evaluation this week.
Perete added that those who will be released on parole will have to undergo quarantine at a facility in their respective penal farm and colony before being freed.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra earlier approved a BPP resolution removing most documentary requirements for applications for parole and executive clemency following strong calls for the immediate release of elderly and sickly prisoners during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Interim Guidelines, which took effect on May 15, have simplified the procedure for the grant of parole and executive clemency to PDLs who are elderly and sick since they are considered most vulnerable to CoVid-19.
It also reduced the documentary requirements for parole and clemency application from a maximum of sixteen documents to just three. PDLs who could possibly be released on parole or executive clemency under the Interim Guidelines need only to submit Clearances of No Pending Cases and of No Appeal from the court, and an NBI Clearance.
However, PDLs who committed heinous crimes or were involved in cases relating to illegal drugs, or those classified as high risk by the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) do not benefit from the Interim Guidelines.
The simplified rules also require the BPP to double their caseload for review and deliberation to speed up the processing of applications, Perete said
The interim guidelines apply to those qualified for parole or executive clemency, as well as applicants who are over 65 years old and have served at least five years of their sentence, or those who imprisonment is “inimical to their health,” as attested by a physician certified by the Department of Health or designated by the Malacanang clinic director.
Elderly and sickly inmates and those suffering from terminal or life-threatening diseases or with serious disability will be prioritized.
The BuCor has recorded 117 COVID-19 cases in two of their facilities—the New Bilibid Prison and the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW—as of May 14. At least nine patients have recovered and at least four have died as of the same date.
BuCor’s seven facilities nationwide have an overall congestion rate of 314%, according to January 2020 figures. Bilibid, a prison built for over 6,000, has an inmate population of more than 29,000. The CIW houses 3,422 inmates in a space made for just 1,008.