1,004 PDLs released; total freed under current admin reaches 24,583

A total of 1,004 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) were released from various prisons and penal farms across the Philippines between June 13 and July 3, 2025, according to the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor).

This release brings the total number of PDLs freed under the current administration to 24,583.

The majority of those released were from New Bilibid Prison with 256 individuals and Davao Prison and Penal Farm with 136 individuals.

Other reasons for release included acquittal, probation, habeas corpus, parole, bail, cash bond, and expired sentences not covered by Department Order (DO) 652 or approved by the justice secretary.

Under DO 652, PDLs incarcerated in national penitentiaries with expired sentences are released upon approval by BuCor’s director general, while those sentenced to life imprisonment require prior approval from the justice secretary.

Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla led the inauguration of a new Bureau of Immigration Warden Facility at the BuCor compound in Muntinlupa City on Thursday, which will serve as a temporary holding facility for foreign nationals undergoing deportation proceedings.