Over 81,000 released from jails amid pandemic — CJ Peralta

More than 81,000 inmates have been released from Philippine jails during the COVID-19 pandemic, Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta said Friday.

At a virtual press briefing, Peralta said 81,888 persons deprived of liberty (PDL) were released from March 17 to October 16, more than half of them through online hearings.

There were several causes for release, but 19,173 inmates were set free on bail, reduced bail, or recognizance, Peralta said. Others were acquitted, had their cases dismissed, served either the minimum or maximum penalty, or are out on probation.

During the same period, 880 children in conflict with the law (CICL) were released through video conference hearings.

In the early weeks of the pandemic in the Philippines, Peralta ordered the physical closure of courts nationwide to reduce transmission. Virus fears also sped up a transition to online platforms for court processes, including hearings, filing of pleadings, and posting of bail.

The Supreme Court had approved the use of videoconferencing for hearings involving high-risk or seriously ill detainees in August 2019 and tested it in Davao, but the pandemic led to the rollout of the technology for over a thousand of courts nationwide.

Peralta said over 110,000 videoconferencing hearings have been conducted from May to October, a large majority of them on criminal cases. More than 43,000 are on the arraignment and pre-trial stage and more than 40,000 are in the trial proper.

Thousands of promulgations of judgment, bail hearings, pre-arraignment, and post-judgment hearings have also been held online.

Peralta said 88% of videoconferencing hearings are successful and attributed failures to technical problems like internet connection.

Out of the judiciary's 28,954 employees, 252, or less than 1%, tested positive for COVID-19, the chief justice said. — RSJ, GMA News