BuCor frees 1,004 inmates

The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) released a total of 1,004 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) between 13 June and 3 July, including 90 who joined the culminating ceremony Friday at the New Bilibid Prison compound in Muntinlupa City.

BuCor Director General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr. said this latest batch brings the total number of released inmates under the Marcos administration to 24,583.

The modes of release for these individuals were as follows:

• Acquittal – 61

• Granted probation – 16

• Habeas corpus – 16

• Parole – 94

• Bail bond – 1

• Cash bond – 1

• Expired sentence not covered by DOJ Order 652 – 459

• Expired sentence covered by DOJ Order 652 – 356

Department Order 652, issued by the Department of Justice in 2023, revised the procedure for releasing inmates with expired sentences. Under this directive, the BuCor Director General or an authorized representative may approve the release of most PDLs, while those serving life sentences or classified as high-risk or high-profile must receive prior approval from the Secretary of Justice.

The 1,004 released PDLs came from the following facilities:

• Correctional Institution for Women (CIW): 52

• CIW - Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm: 1

• CIW - Mindanao: 10

• Davao Prison and Penal Farm: 136

• Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm: 109

• Leyte Regional Prison: 50

• New Bilibid Prison (NBP): 256

• NBP – Maximum: 79

• NBP – Medium: 62

• NBP – Minimum: 17

• NBP – Reception and Diagnostic Center (RDC): 9

• Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm: 110

• San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm: 113