Eight women prisoners recover from COVID-19, BuCor says
MANILA, Philippines — Eight female correctional inmates have recovered from COVID-19 and will be brought back to the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City, the Bureau of Corrections said.
In a post late Thursday night, BuCor said the eight Persons Deprived of Liberty who recovered from the coronavirus will be brought back to the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong from their isolation area, Site Harry, in Muntinlupa City.
Dr. Henry Fabro, chief of the BuCor Health Service, said that PDLs, previously COVID-19 positives, underwent PCR and rapid test and yielded negative result after three weeks of stay at Site Harry.
They will undergo another PCR test before they will be brought back to their detention cells at the CIW, BuCor added.
RT-PCR testing is Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction that is considered the “gold standard” for COVID-19 testing.
In a separate message to reporters, BuCor spokesperson Gabriel Chaclag said the “intended area” for CIW inmates who are COVID-19 patients has been built. All female inmates staying at Site Harry will also be brought to this isolation area at the CIW, he added.
The transfer of COVID-19 positive inmates from Mandaluyong to Muntinlupa City was met with strong opposition from the local government.
RELATED: Muntinlupa LGU opposes transfer of COVID-19 infected inmates
Latest data from the Bureau dated May 7 showed there are 49 CIW inmates who tested positive for COVID-19. Of these, two passed away.
There were also three personnel from the women’s correctional infected with the coronavirus.
Meanwhile, at the New Bilibid Prison, four inmates and two staff members contracted the coronavirus. One inmate from the national penitentiary has since died.
Relaxed guidelines for parole, executive clemency take effect May 15
To decongest the country's overcrowded penal facilities in this time of pandemic, the Department of Justice crafted interim guidelines with relaxed requirements application for parole and executive clemency.
The rules, published April 15, take effect on Friday, May 15.
President Rodrigo Duterte, in his report to Congress last May 4, said the Justice department will process at least 100 applications for parole and executive clemency weekly.
Part of his report read: "The prison records of an initial batch of 200 PDLs are now being reviewed pursuant to the Interim Rules, and at least 100 PDLs will be deliberated by the [Board of Pardons and Parole] on a weekly basis.”
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