THE Department of Justice on Wednesday said it is simplifying requirements and processing of applications for parole and executive clemency of certain inmates as part of efforts to decongest prison facilities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Justice Undersecretary Markk Perete said Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra approved last April 15 a resolution issued by the Board of Pardons and Parole that, among others, “dispenses with most of the documentary requirements for applications for parole and executive clemency,” except for the court certification of no pending case and no pending appeal and a clearance from the National Bureau of Investigation.
It also requires the Board to double the number of case loads for review and deliberation during its meetings to expedite the process of application by inmates.
Perete said the resolution dispenses with the requirement for parolees and pardonees to report to parole and probation officers while the state of national emergency due to the COVID-19 is in effect.
Last March, President Duterte placed the entire country under a state of national health emergency for six months.
“The simplified requirements and procedures will apply to application by PDLs (persons deprived of liberty) qualified for parole and clemency,” Perete said, adding it also covers the application of inmates over 65 years old who have served at least five years of their sentence, or those whose continued imprisonment is inimical to their health as certified by a physician designated by the Bureau of Corrections and certified by the Department of Health or designated by the Malacanang Clinic Director.
“In the processing of parole or executive clemency review, priority shall be given to PDLs who are already of old age, sickly or are suffering from terminal or life-threatening illnesses, or with serious disability,” Board Resolution No.OT-04-15-2020 signed by Guevarra said.
The resolution said inmates convicted of heinous crimes or illegal drugs-related cases, or those classified by BuCor as “high-risk,” cannot avail of the new regulations.
