BuCor releases 14.6K PDLs in past 2 years

MANILA: The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) has released 562 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) in June, bringing to 14,657 the total number of PDLs released in the past two years as part of the bureau's 'Bilis Laya' Program. In his report to Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Friday, Bureau of Corrections Director General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr. said of the 562 PDLs released last month, 321 served their maximum sentences, 121 were acquitted, 98 were paroled, 21 were granted probation, and one was granted executive clemency (conditional pardon). Catapang said BuCor continues to improve the quality of life of PDLs still incarcerated through the construction of new facilities and rehabilitation of prison and penal facilities nationwide. These include the completion of new facilities in the Davao Prison and Penal Farm, which is already fully operational; the ongoing construction at the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm, which is already 90.09 percent completed; and the various stages of construction in the Leyte Regional Prison, Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm, Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City, and San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm. Meanwhile, other prison facilities are still undergoing detailed engineering design, Catapang said. Source: Philippines News Agency