The Bureau of Corrections yesterday launched the Blue and Red Ribbon Project, an after-care support initiative critical for ensuring that released individuals can transition smoothly back into society.

This is also a reintegration awareness initiative to promote understanding, reduce stigma, and strengthen after-care support for released persons deprived of liberty.

BuCor Director General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr. highlighted the project's roots in Singapore’s Yellow Ribbon Movement, emphasizing the importance of hope, acceptance, and the belief that everyone deserves a second chance in life.

The BuCor said that to facilitate this process, it plans to establish halfway houses across all operating prisons and penal farms nationwide.

These facilities will serve not only as transitional residences but also as secure holding areas for individuals awaiting release and final settlement arrangements.

Catapang envisions these halfway houses as essential support systems, providing resources and guidance to help persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) successfully reintegrate into their communities.

Corrections Technical Superintendent Noel Marquez further elaborated that the Blue and Red Ribbon Project is more than just a program; it is a movement that aims to instill hope in those who have served their time, acknowledging the impact of reentry on families and communities.

By connecting reintegrated individuals with real opportunities for employment, education, and healing, the project seeks to address and dismantle the stigma often faced by ex-offenders.

This significant milestone reflects a progressive shift towards community-based rehabilitation, paving the way for a more inclusive approach to reintegration that prioritizes understanding and collaboration at the grassroots level, Marquez added.

On the other hand, a total of 736 persons deprived of liberty were released by the Bureau of Corrections from July 4 to July 30, bringing the total number of released PDLs to 25,304 under the Marcos administration.

Catapang said the mode of releases for the 736 PDLs were: expiration of maximum sentence – 554, acquittal – 56, granted probation – 14, habeas corpus – 7, parole – 100, and turnover due to pending cases – 5.

The released PDLs were from the facilities of: Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) – 37, CIW-Mindanao – 6, Davao Prison and Penal Farm – 118, Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm – 77, Leyte Regional Prison – 54, New Bilibid Prison (NBP) – 63, NBP-Maximum – 85, NBP-Medium – 87, NBP-Minimum – 36, NBP-Reception and Diagnostic Center (RDC) – 10, Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm – 71, and San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm – 92.