00:00The administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. pointed to the solution to the problem of tight prisons in the country.
00:08This is what Louisa Erispe wrote.
00:18In the new Philippines, no Filipino will be left behind.
00:22This was the promise of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. under his administration.
00:29And when all Filipinos said the same thing,
00:31our countrymen will not be left behind in these tight prisons.
00:36That is why the government is also pushing for a project
00:40to ensure that persons deprived of liberty will not be seen again in the prisons.
00:48The first thing the government did was to reduce the number of PDLs in the most tight prisons in the Philippines,
00:55the New Belivid Prison.
00:57Gradually, some PDLs are being brought to penal farms in the provinces,
01:02like Sapalawan, Mindoro, Nueva Ecija, and others.
01:06Here, they have a wide range of activities,
01:09and they are taught to plant, take care of animals, and farm.
01:14And most of all, they can also get enough food every day.
01:19But the government saw that this is not enough,
01:22because aside from the long process of transferring PDLs to penal farms,
01:27there may be a shortage of prisoners in the provinces.
01:32That is why the Department of Justice also released PDLs
01:37who have already completed their sentences and have been pardoned.
01:41Since the administration of R. Marcos,
01:44several thousand PDLs have been released.
01:47From the previous 400%, the congestion rate has already dropped to 240%.
01:54But to make it faster, even the law, the government also took action.
01:59This year, the Supreme Court passed the Good Conduct and Time Allowance
02:05even for heinous crimes.
02:07This means that those who have murder, rape, and other cases can be released using the GCTA.
02:15The bail was also lowered under the Supreme Court's order for the indigenous people
02:20for the amount of P10,000.
02:24But one of the major changes in the law is the signing of the Department of Justice
02:30in front of the President of the new process of preliminary investigation and inquest proceedings.
02:38In this new process, there will be no more cases in court.
02:44With the signing of the 2024 Department of Justice National Prosecution Service or DOJ-NPS Rules
02:52on Preliminary Investigations and Inquest Proceedings,
02:56we are moving towards our shared goal of a more robust and responsive legal system.
03:02This initiative will profoundly impact our justice system and the Filipino people.
03:08We express our heartfelt thanks to the President.
03:11There is no more fitting way to mark this historic event
03:15than to have it graced by the Chief Executive's presence.
03:18These rules will lead to a higher conviction rate,
03:22declog court dockets, and ensure a more streamlined justice process.
03:28Every life is important, even those who are oppressed.
03:33So if the President has a promise that no one will be left behind,
03:37all Filipinos in need, even those in prison, will be in his cloud.
03:44Luisa Erispe for Pambansang TV in Bagong, Philippines.
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