Malacañang has ordered the release from the New Bilibid Prison of the country’s “oldest person deprived of liberty (PDL)” last Sunday.
Kapatid, a support group for so-called political prisoners and their families, confirmed the release of 85-year-old Gerardo dela Peña, the former head of Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA).
“We are very happy that Tatay Gerry can finally return home to his family and reunite with his wife Pilar in their twilight years. His release is a milestone for human rights campaigns, but also serves as a stark reminder of the obstacles that impede the release of political prisoners,” Kapatid spokesperson Fides Lim said in a statement.
Lim expressed Kapatid’s gratitude to Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla for facilitating dela Peña’s release, the Commission on Human Rights for its support, and “everyone here and abroad who helped in this collective effort.”
Dela Peña, who was arrested on March 21, 2013, was convicted of murder. Kapatid said he was convicted “despite evidence of his innocence and the admission of the New People’s Army (NPA) that it committed the crime.”
“Tatay Gerry’s journey to freedom was very difficult because of systemic challenges and bureaucratic delays,” Lim said.
She said the Board of Pardons and Parole (BPP) could not immediately implement its own resolution that allowed executive clemency be granted to prisoners who reached 70 years of age and served 10 years of their sentence.
Lim said Kapatid received a letter from BPP which stated the board had recommended the commutation of the sentence of dela Peña to 12 years in accordance with the resolution.
“The fact is, Tatay Gerry had already overserved his commuted sentence, serving exactly 12 years and 2 months as of June 12, aside from the good conduct time allowance (GCTA) he accrued,” Lim lamented.
“Every additional minute behind bars is a gross injustice for an innocent man,” she added.