BuCor processing release papers of eligible, vulnerable prisoners amid quarantine -official

The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) continues to process the documents of prisoners who are eligible for release, especially those vulnerable to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), an official said.

BuCor spokesperson Gabriel Chaclag said the bureau has not stopped its processes even during the imposition of the enhanced community quarantine over Luzon.

"BuCor continues to process the papers of those eligible for release especially those considered with vulnerable condition," Chaclag said in a message to reporters.

"Rest assured that BuCor will continue to explore ways how to expedite our processes in collaboration with DOJ (Department of Justice) and [Board] of Pardons and Parole," he added.

But the processing of time allowances and credit for preventive imprisonment, including the controversial good conduct time allowance (GCTA), remains suspended pending the approval of a manual still under review at the DOJ, Chaclag said.

Though there are no confirmed COVID-19 cases in BuCor facilities, President Rodrigo Duterte said 74 detainees are considered persons under monitoring (PUM) and two others are considered persons under investigation (PUI) for the infectious disease.

Eighty BuCor personnel are considered PUMs and one is a PUI, Duterte said in a recent report to Congress.

According to the report, the PUMs and PUIs are being monitored for symptoms and have been isolated in quarantine areas in BuCor facilities, away from the rest of the prisoners.

"The BuCor has already coordinated with partner hospitals should there be a need to transport these PUMs and PUls for medical treatment," the report said.

Visits to prisoners were suspended as a precautionary measure against the virus. Chaclag earlier said inmates were given disposable masks and that they "try not to be close together."

The BuCor has seven facilities for national prisoners nationwide: the New Bilibid Prison, the Correctional Institution for Women, the Iwahig, Davao, San Ramon, Sablayan prison and penal farms, and the Leyte Regional Prison.

The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, on the other hand, runs jails for detainees awaiting or undergoing trial.

Several detainees have asked the Supreme Court to order the temporary release of prisoners who claimed their age and existing illnesses, as well as poor prison conditions, render them vulnerable to the virus. --KBK, GMA News