MANILA, Philippines — Almost 22,000 detainees were released in a bid to decongest overcrowded prisons nationwide as the threat of COVID-19 pandemic reaches even those behind bars, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said Wednesday.
In a statement, DILG chief Eduardo Año said 21,858 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) were released from March 17 to July 13 in 470 prisons supervised by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).
Of the total number, Año said 15,102 were released through bail, plea-bargaining, parole o probation while 6,756 were freed through acquittal or served sentence.
The Interior chief assured the public that the BJMP is undertaking other measures to declog jails.
“The DILG through the BJMP is also taking concrete measures to decongest our jails such as improving and putting up more jail facilities and fast-tracking the court hearings of PDLs,” Año said.
The BJMP is also conducting targeted testing for inmates in 51 jail facilities and three BJMP offices hit by COVID-19 pandemic, Año also said.
As of July 15, BJMP has 180 active cases of COVID-19. Of the total number, 126 are detainees while 54 are BJMP personnel. / EDV