QCJ gift to 181 PDLs s: Freedom on Christmas Day
THE Quezon City Jail Male Dormitory (QCJMD) of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) released a total of 181 Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) just in time for the Christmas season making their wish – to spend these special days with their loved ones – come true.
According to Supt. Michelle Ng Bonto, jail warden, the paralegal team made sure to give them extra “motivation” to be with their family these holidays and at the same time reintegrate with the community they belong to as part of the government’s decongestion program.
Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos praised the bureau for the continuing initiatives to further trim down the jail population throughout the country from a high 281% in January to 238% this December.
Overcrowding of jails is a decades-old problem of the bureau which Abalos wanted to be addressed.
Bonto said that the 181 released PDLs brought to 1979 (detainees) who were given the green light to the exit gate this year.
As of the December 25 data, 26 PDLs got their release papers through acquittal while 12 have already served their respective sentences while still undergoing trials.
Nine others have been freed after their cases were dismissed by the courts while the rest availed of some legal procedures such as posting bail bonds, cash bonds, and surety bonds; through probation, good conduct time allowance (GCTA) among others.
Abalos earlier said that this far, the BJMP has been efficient in introducing comprehensive programs that convince the PDLs to mend their ways and instead choose to become more productive members of society once they enjoy freedom.
According to Bonto, while livelihood and educational programs are offered to PDLs to make them productive while still in detention, the paralegal team is busy computing the time served by every detainee directed by the Office of the Court Administrator (OCA).
Under OCA memorandum circular 201-2022, jail facility officials need not wait for the court to order a release for as long as these freedom-bound inmates are qualified and have complied all the necessary requirements.
“I-inform na lang ang court through writing kung qualified na ang isang PDL for release,” Bonto said.
