Dr. Manuel G. Co, PPA administrator, made the recommendation when he paid a courtesy call on Gov. Lilia G. Pineda during his visit at the Capitol on Monday.
“I am recommending an open prison (system) to the governor just like the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Palawan which is self-sustaining,” he said.
This is in line with the responsibility of the agency of providing a less costly alternative to imprisonment of first time offenders who are likely to respond to individualized community-based treatment programs.
Co, who later visited the Pampanga Provincial Jail for an onsite, hands-on feel of its condition, said Pineda also discussed with him ways on how to decongest the provincial jail which is heavily congested.
“We came here visiting to inspect the jail and we coordinate ways on how to decongest the jail,” he said.
Co said his agency is continuously releasing prisoners and since January more than 1,000 prisoners have been released.
Co said PPA meets every Tuesdays and Thursdays and decides who can be pardoned.
He explained that parole is applied when the penalty is an “indeterminate” type of sentence meaning it has a minimum and maximum penalty
“So pwede namin palabasin (So we can allow the release) upon service of the minimum but if it is indivisible penalty we are the ones who also review and endorse to the President who has the sole power to give executive clemency or commutation of sentence,” he said.
Indivisible penalties are those which do not have fixed duration, like death, reclusion perpetua, perpetual absolute or special disqualification, public censure.
Co said absolute or conditional pardon also rests on the President but upon the recommendation of the Board of Pardons.
Parole is approved solely by the PPA, he said.
