Duterte pardons 4 prisoners, commutes sentences of 23

March 6, 2017

President Rodrigo Duterte has granted conditional pardon and commutation of sentence to 27 inmates.

This was the first time that Duterte exercised this power since he assumed office on June 30, 2016.

In a briefer of the Department of Justice issued by the Presidential Communications Office, it said out of 127 inmates recommended by Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, four were given conditional pardon and 23 for the commutation of sentence.

The briefer did not state the crimes committed by the inmates and number of years that they have served inside the prison.

"Those granted conditional pardon shall be automatically released from prison upon the award of certificates to them while those granted commutation of sentence shall either be released, whenever their terms reached the maximum sentence based on re-computation or shall be granted parole upon recommendation, forwarding of carpeta/prison records and processing of the Board of Pardons and Parole," the briefer read. Celerina Monte/DMS