The Bureau of Corrections disclosed that at least 700 persons deprived of liberty is being mulled to be freed from various prisons and penal facilities in the country before the year ends.
BuCor officer-in-charge Gregorio Catapang on Wednesday said that the plan is to release 300 to 500 PDLs at the minimum.
"We want to release as many as 500 to 700 this end of the year. Before Christmas or before the New Year," Catapang said.
He added that they are also seeking to release elderly PDLs, saying there is a law that states those 70 years old can apply for parole or clemency.
"There's a law that states that when you are 70 years old and above, you can apply for parole or executive clemency. So we are planning to apply our PDLs that are 65 to 70 years old and above," Catapang said.
The BuCor official stressed that all penal colonies — including the New Bilibid Prison — are currently "super congested" and when asked about plans for decongestion, Catapang said that P300 million were released to penal colonies for the construction of new buildings.
He added the buildings being constructed can hold 1,000 to 1,500 PDLs.
"So if you add the three colonies that were given P300 million to construct new buildings, more or less that's 4,000 inmates from NBP that may be transferred," Catapang said.
Meantime, the BuCor official said that at least 60 unclaimed remains of PDLs are also set to be buried on Friday at the NBP Cemetery in Muntinlupa City.
This comes after 60 other cadavers were buried last week during a simple ceremony at the NBP Cemetery. They were part of the 176 unclaimed bodies of inmates discovered in NBP-accredited Eastern Funeral Services.