SC frees more than 18,000 from jails

May 18, 2020

The Supreme Court, through the Office of the Court Administrator, on Monday said more than 18,000 persons deprived of liberty have been released from various jails nationwide since the enhanced community quarantine was implemented by the government.

Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez said that 18,355 PDLs have been released from March 17 to May 15, 2020 since the government implemented the ECQ in many cities.

Marquez  said those who were released were charged with crimes punishable under the Revised Penal Code, special penal laws and a few local ordinances.

“This was from the time our courts nationwide ‘drastically reduced its operations’ and after four days were ‘physically closed to all court users’ and may only be reached through their hotlines and email addresses,” Marquez said  in a statement.

Marquez said many of the PDLs were released from the lockup cells of the PNP because at the start of the ECQ, many BJMP facilities did not accept the new PDLs  for fear that they may infect the inmates inside the BJMP.

“But there were also a number of them who were released from the BJMP and the provincial jails either on reduced bail or self-recognizance, or after already serving the minimum imposable penalty for the crime they were charged,” he said.

Marquez said they also monitored a few minors or Children in Conflict with the Law who were released to their parents during the ECQ period.

Marquez said he expects more PDLs to be released in the next few days and other more cases, both criminal and civil to be heard “as many of our courts are now under GCQ and will be re-opening and additional courts will be authorized soon to conduct hearings of civil and criminal cases through videoconferencing.” DMS