Twenty-four inmates of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) are expected to be released soon once they receive pardon from President Duterte, said Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra.
“The executive clemency grant for these 24 PDLs (persons deprived of liberty) is being processed in the Office of the President,” disclosed Guevarra yesterday.
“They may be released in the next few days,” he said.
Under Article VII, Section 19 of the Constitution, the President has the power to give executive clemency to any prisoner.
This means he can provide reprieve, absolute or conditional pardon to any inmate with or without parole conditions and commutation of sentence.
Just last Christmas, 40 inmates of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) were released from prison.
Among those released are 32 parolees, while, the eight have already served their sentences.
Meanwhile, BuCor’s prisons remain congested by over 30 percent and is need of new facilities to address this.
The Bilibid has a population of around 27,000 even though it only has a capacity to hold 10,072 inmates.