The digitization of the Carpeta, the collection of the records of persons deprived of liberty (PDL), has been completed with the support of the European Union’s (EU) Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) program, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) announced yesterday.

BuCor Director General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr. expressed his gratitude to Massimo Santoro, the EU Ambassador to the Philippines, for the donation of seven scanners and seven laptops valued at P12 million.

The donation played a crucial role in the successful digitization of PDL records.

Rather than retrieving the devices, the EU chose to donate them permanently to BuCor to provide valuable support to the agency in several key areas, including monitoring the status of PDLs to assess their eligibility for early release.

The donation would also help in calculating and reviewing credits for preventive imprisonment and time allowances, and in maintaining health information on PDLs, which is critical in emergencies. The digitization uses biometric data and other personal identifiers for PDL identification

The ICT equipment will be distributed to seven prisons and penal farms across the country, including the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City, Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Palawan,

Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Occidental Mindoro, San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm in Zamboanga City, and the Leyte Regional Prison in Abuyog, Leyte.

The donation played a crucial role in the successful digitization of PDL records.

In addition, BuCor showed off the OneBuCor Portal’s Inmate Management Information System.

The centralized platform will streamline the bureau’s operations with features like the document tracking system, human resource management information system (part of the administrative information system), and the comprehensive management of procurement, delivery, issuance and inventory within the logistics information system. It also offers a thorough system for tracking and managing PDL records.

Meanwhile, the GOJUST initiative, as highlighted on their website, is collaborating with the Philippine Supreme Court, the Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior and Local Government to enhance access to justice for all.

The GOJUST program is set to run until June 2025, with a budget of €19 million. This marks the second phase of the GOJUST Program, which builds on the work of its predecessor from April 2016 to September 2020, also funded by the European Union at a budget of P16 million.

The EU has been a consistent supporter of governance and justice initiatives in the Philippines since the early 2000s.