Koronadal City—After a decade, when it launched, the Provincial Government of South Cotabato is preparing to institutionalize the Halfway Out Program. The program allocated a fund to bail out prisoners at the South Cotabato Rehabilitation and Detention Center whose cases are still under litigation process.
“The main reason here is to decongest the number of people deprived of liberty in our Provincial Jail,” Pingoy pointed out.
The approach is to speed up the administration of justice and strengthen the bonds of the five pillars of the justice system in South Cotabato—law enforcement, prosecution, courts, corrections, and the community.
Under the guidelines, cases are bailable. The bail amount is not to exceed P10, 000. Inmates are willing to sign a waiver. The person is not a recidivist offender with a positive result on background investigation and a psychological evaluation.
“We will not accommodate drug cases to respect the anti-illegal drug campaign of the government,” Pingoy explained.
Meanwhile, Pingoy said the program is eyeing five PDL to bail out in December.
There are 50 cases on the priority list at present, Pingoy said. Funding comes from the Office of the Provincial Governor.
The team is drafting the ordinance for its submission next year.
