Marcos to DOJ: Release inmates qualified for parole

MANILA, Philippines — To decongest the country’s jail facilities, President Marcos has ordered the Department of Justice (DOJ) to continue releasing inmates who are qualified for parole.

Marcos issued the directive during a Cabinet meeting at Malacañang yesterday, the first for this year.

Citing his experience as governor of Ilocos Norte, Marcos noted that most of the inmates are languishing in jail as they could not afford the services of good lawyers.

“So that’s why we are in favor now to release many of them,” the President said. “They just needed representation to set them free. So let’s continue with that.”

Marcos also backed the DOJ’s plan to transfer hardened criminals to an Alcatraz-type prison, isolating them from the general population and putting a stop to their criminal activities as they were still able to direct criminal operations while behind bars. Alcatraz is a former maximum security prison located on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay.

“Those are the things we have to do so they can no longer contact…We have to isolate them properly,” Marcos said.

He underscored the need for inmates’ transfer to special facilities, citing the rampant corruption at the Bureau of Corrections.

The DOJ is eyeing three prison facilities in Occidental Mindoro, Leyte and Zamboanga City where heinous crime convicts could be detained separately.

Measures seeking to establish an Alcatraz-like facility for prisoners convicted of heinous crimes were among the 41 bills passed during the term of former president Rodrigo Duterte that lapsed into law.

The DOJ fast-tracked the processing of the release of qualified prisoners by digitalizing the systems of the Probation and Parole Administration.

The agency released almost 3,000 inmates from July to December 2022.

This year, the justice department is eyeing to decongest prison facilities by transferring the maximum security compound of the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City to a dedicated correctional facility in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro.