PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he would ensure that prisoners who have completed serving their sentences would be released without delay.
”Completing a sentence should mean going home to your family, not waiting for delayed paperwork,” Marcos said in his speech during the celebration of National Correctional Consciousness Week. The president led the distribution of certificates of discharge to 266 inmates who finished their sentences.
The Marcos administration’s “Bilis Laya” program aims to accelerate case review and document processing of prisoners qualified for release. Under the initiative, volunteer lawyers review cases of inmates eligible for release to expedite their discharge from prison.
Currently, 43 inmates received a certificate of discharge from prison, while 857 received free legal services.
“That is why we continue to improve our processes and services. Through the ‘Katarungan Karaban’ (Justice Caravan), we have brought legal services closer to our fellow citizens,” Marcos said.
Marcos added that the program helps in decongesting prisons.
”This helps reduce overcrowding in prisons and facilitates reintegration with our families. It is difficult to turn one’s life around when prisons are overcrowded and in poor condition,” he said.
Bureau of Corrections Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr. said the Marcos administration facilitated the release of over 37,000 inmates since 2022, primarily due to the good conduct time allowance, surpassing the number released under previous administrations.
”President Marcos has secured the release of 37,066 inmates. We also want to highlight that compared to the previous administration, which, over the course of six years, only managed to release 21,000, President Marcos succeeded in releasing 30,000 individuals by 2025 in his third year in office,” said Catapang.
”The Supreme Court has agreed with the government’s position, ruling that even if an individual has committed a heinous crime, they should be granted good conduct time allowance, provided they demonstrate good behavior,” Catapang said, noting that he is optimistic that by the end of Marcos’ term, the total number of qualified inmates released will reach 50,000.
