Over 1,000 inmates released in March — BuCor

A total of 1,058 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) from various prisons and penal farms nationwide were released in March, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) announced Monday.

In a statement, the BuCor said this brings the total number of released PDLs under the Marcos administration to 20,629.

Justice Undersecretary Deo Marco, representing Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, advised the former PDLs to prove themselves and set their goals.

“Kailangan ang objective niyo, ang inyong layunin, ay maipakita sa mundo na sa inyong paglabas, mas higit pa kayo, mas mabuti pa kayong taong kesa nung pumasok kayo,” Marco said in his speech.

(Your objective, your goal, should be to show the world that upon your release, you are greater, a better person than when you first entered.)

“So iyon ang una ninyong gawin. Tanggapin niyo ang nakaraan pero huwag niyong hayaan na ito ang tutukoy sa inyong future,” he added.

(So that is the first thing you must do. Accept your past, but don’t let it dictate your future.)

He also warned that their reintegration to society would not be easy due to stigma.

Despite this, he said that they continue pushing forward.

“PDL ‘yan, galing ‘yan sa loob. May mga trabaho na aaplayan kayo na baka saraduhan kayo ng pinto. Pero kailangan niyo lang maging— ituloy niyo lang. Tigas lang, kumbaga. Tuloy-tuloy niyo lang, wag kayo titigil. Kasi ang importante, ipakita niyo na kaya niyo,” he said.

(He’s a PDL, he was imprisoned. There will be jobs you apply for that might close their doors on you. But you just have to— keep going. Be tough. Keep pushing forward, don’t stop. Because what matters is showing that you can do it.)

Among the 1,058 individuals, BuCor said 188 attended the culminating activity at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) compound in Muntinlupa City.

According to the bureau, 747 were released due to expiration of sentence, 159 due to parole, 112 due to acquittal, 21 due to probation, 18 due to habeas corpus, and one was turned over to court.

Meanwhile, 506 were from the NBP; 68 from the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong, CIW Iwahig, and CIW Mindanao; 141 from Davao Prison and Penal Farm; 114 from the San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm; 96 from the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm; 81 from the Leyte Regional Prison; and 52 from the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm.

“Marami pang lalaya, do-doble pa ‘yan. So kayo, ngayong palaya na, we wish you all the best, we wish you to have your second chance,” BuCor Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr. said in his speech.

(More will be released, that will double. So you, now that you’re being freed, we wish you all the best, we wish you to have your second chance.) — Joahna Lei Casilao/RSJ, GMA Integrated News