Bail amounts for criminal detainees will be lowered, based on arecent order from the Department of Justice, which could free about three out of ten incarcerated people in the Philippines.
A memorandum issued by Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on February 20, 2023, set the bail cap for indigent defendants at 10,000 pesos and halved the bail amounts for prosecutors of indigent defendants under the 2018 New Bail Bond.
Raymund Narag, professor of criminology, called the move a “great success,” given that the Philippines’ New Bilibid Prison National Detention Center is beyond its capacity. As of October 2022, the New Bilibid Prison held an inmate population nearly five times higher than its capacity allowed. On January 27, 2023, the Justice Sector Coordinating Council discussed the 330% overcrowding rate of New Bilibid Prison.
Photo © Raffy Lerma