BuCor seeks to double medical allowance of PDLs

Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. on Thursday said they are pushing to double the medical allowance of persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) from P15 to P30 per inmate per day.

Catapang made the appeal to Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, during the hearing on the proposed 2026 budget of the Department of Justice and its attached agencies last Tuesday.

The BuCor chief reiterated the need to increase the medical allowance of PDLs, underscoring the necessity of enhancing healthcare provisions within the correctional facilities.

Catapang also told Gatchalian that the bureau is proposing a medical parole bill aimed at institutionalizing a system of medical parole for elderly inmates aged 70 and above and those medically incapacitated, based on humanitarian considerations and global best practices.

“Elderly PDLs with chronic illnesses limit their ability to care for themselves and pose minimal risks to public safety,” Catapang said.

He explained that the measure will not only help decongest overcrowded prisons and penal farms nationwide but also alleviate the burden on the prison system while recognizing the basic human rights of vulnerable inmates.