Authorities aim to process 200 parole, executive clemency applications a week — DOJ

Authorities are looking to process 200 applications for parole and executive clemency every week under relaxed rules in an effort to decongest Philippine prisons amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said Friday.

A "significant" number of prisoners is expected to be released through simplified parole and executive clemency processes, Justice Undersecretary Markk Perete said in an interview on GMA News' Unang Hirit.

The Board of Pardons and Parole was tasked to double its caseload to hasten the processing of applications. Most requirements were removed, and parolees and pardonees are no longer required to report to parole and probation officers during the state of national emergency. 

"'Yung actual number of prisoners, we are looking at a significant number kasi although we don't have the exact number, majority of our prisoners kasi will fall under the category na yung 65 years and above," Perete said.

The official also said corrections authorities have reached out to the National Bureau of Investigation and the Office of the Court Administrator to ensure the quick release of the necessary certifications, the only requirements that remained.

While a doubled caseload means 120 to 160 applicants a week, authorities aim to process 200, he said, citing Justice Undersecretary Deo Marco, who is in charge of the corrections cluster.

According to the general rules, inmates are eligible to apply for parole if the maximum period of their sentence exceeds one year, if they have served the minimum period of the indeterminate sentence, if their conviction is final and executory, if they have no pending case, and if they are serving time in the national penitentiary, unless their detention at a local jail is justified.

Under the simplified process, eligible applicants also include those over 65 years old and have served at least five years of their sentence, or those whose imprisonment is "inimical to their health," as attested by a physician certified by the Department of Health or designated by the Malacañang clinic director.

Applicants of old age, those who are sickly or are suffering from terminal or life-threatening diseases, or those with serious disability will be prioritized.

Persons convicted of heinous crimes or in cases involving illegal drugs, or those classified as "high risk" by the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) are ineligible.

The simplified rules are a part of the DOJ's study of calls for the release of "low-risk offenders" to prevent deadly COVID-19 outbreaks in Philippine prisons.

The BuCor has reported 20 cases of COVID-19 infection among prisoners and one among its staff. Two of the inmates who tested positive are hospitalized and the rest are at a quarantine facility at the New Bilibid Prison.

Perete said the inmates who will be released under the interim guidelines will also be quarantined before they can go out of prison.

The BuCor has nearly 50,000 prisoners across its seven facilities nationwide and a congestion rate of 314%. More than half of its population is at the New Bilibid Prison, a facility built for just over 6,000 inmates. The Bilibid has a congestion rate of 353%, according to January 2020 figures. — RSJ, GMA News