BuCor releases 81 overstaying prisoners

MANILA, Philippines - Eighty-one overstaying prisoners in penal colonies nationwide have been released, an official said yesterday.

Bureau of Correction (BuCor) Director Franklin Bucayu said the 81 were among the 1,738 prisoners released from January to October this year after they completed their sentences.

They were released from the national penitentiary in Muntinlupa, Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong, Davao Penal  and Farm Colony, Iwahig Penal Farm, Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Mindoro, San Ramon Penal  Farm in Zamboanga and Leyte Regional Prison.

It is part of the “carpeta” system in which records of prisoners are computerized and updated for early processing of their release.

Bucayu said the records of 39,889 prisoners, or 97 percent of the total prison population nationwide, have been upgraded.

“One of the main goals of the project is to ensure that all inmates who have completed their jail sentences are identified early and prioritized for pre-release processing,” he said.

The BuCor is also dealing with the congestion problem in prisons nationwide. Bucayu said the national penitentiary, originally built for 8,700, now holds 23,000 prisoners.

“NBP congestion rate is now 170 percent; to alleviate congestion 800 inmates were move to penal colonies while 400 more will be moved,” he said.

Bucayo said a building is being renovated in the New Bilibid Prison to hold high-profile prisoners, including the 19 convicted drug lords and criminal gang leaders in the National Bureau of Investigation in Manila.