The Episcopal Commission on Prison Pastoral Care (ECPPC) of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has joined Pope Francis’ call for heads of state to grant clemency to deserving persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).
“We urge our local civil authorities, especially our Executive Branch headed by our President (Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.), to heed His Holiness’ call by granting executive clemency and to set free those deserving persons deprived of liberty. This will enable them ( PDLs) to start a new life as free and potentially productive citizens of the country,” ECPPC chair and Legazpi Bishop Joel Baylon said in a statement Monday night.
Baylon also asked the courts in the country to immediately decide on cases so that those who are found not guilty will be released.
“We also appeal to our Judiciary composed of the different Courts on all levels to hasten the wheels of justice to enable especially those unjustifiably detained to be released from detention,” he said.
He said through the grant of clemency, qualified PDLs can build their lives anew “in the spirit of a true restorative and transformative justice system in our country”.
The Holy Father recently released a letter addressed to the heads of state calling for the release of prisoners who are held “to be eligible to benefit from such a provision.”
The Pope also has asked for a “gesture of clemency” for inmates in the spirit of Christmas.
“He believes that prisoners should not be deprived of hope and instead
be given the chance to redeem themselves,” Baylon added.
On Monday, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) said a total of 328 PDLs have been released from its facilities in December, bringing to nearly 6,000 the total number of PDLs freed this year.