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Friday, March 29, 2024

High court orders 9,731 PDLs freed

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Nearly 10,000 persons deprived of liberty have been released through various measures implemented by the Supreme Court intended to decongest jails in the country amid coronavirus pandemic.

Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta on Thursday disclosed that 9,731 PDLs had been released since the SC implemented several initiatives aimed at decongesting jails during prevailing public health emergency.

Of the PDLs released from March 17, 2020 to April 29, 2020, 2,082 of them were in the National Capital Region; 4,657 in Luzon or outside of NCR; 1,072 in the Visayas; and 1,920 in Mindanao.

PDLs refer to detainees in various jails in the country whose cases are still undergoing trial and awaiting decisions.

This came as the SC issued an administrative circular allowing reduced bail and release on own recognizance as modes of release for indigent detainees during the prevailing public health emergency.

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With the declaration of national health emergency and the imposition of enhanced community quarantine in several areas, courts in the affected areas were physically closed and managed only by skeleton staff.

The government’s imposition of ECQ prompted the high court to issue several circulars to address the issue of jail congestion as a means to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Smuggled medicines

The Bureau of Customs is now conducting a case build-up with the National Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Trade and Industry to pin down personalities illegally selling smuggled medicines allegedly being used to cure COVID-19 patients.

Customs Intelligence Group agents are also monitoring businessmen and medical practitioners engaged in the illegal trade of personal protective equipment and medical supplies.

“As the country battles the deadly novel coronavirus, the Bureau of Customs-Intelligence Group continues to be at the forefront in ensuring that unscrupulous businessmen would not take advantage of the situation by selling overpriced PPE and medical supplies,” the bureau said in a statement.

Corrupt warned

A law-enforcement advocate in the House of Representatives on Thursday warned against government officials who would get involved in ‘corrupt’ practices amid the threat of COVID-19.

Rep. Niña Taduran of ACT-CIS Party-list group revealed that a Deputy Commissioner of a government bureau was allegedly accepting bribes in exchange for favorable action in the bureau.

“I am not inclined to reveal his identity at the moment but let this serve as a stern warning to him that his actions will not be tolerated and I will see to it that his corrupt practices will be dealt with seriously,” Taduran told reporters.

Taguig’s drive-thru test

The Taguig City government began operating the second site for its coronavirus drive-thru testing in its business district in Bonifacio Global City.

The testing facility is set up at the Northeast Parking Area in front of Kidzania, beside CitiBank and IBM One World Place. During the first day of testing in BGC, 10 suspected COVID-19 cases were tested.

The approach, which is part of the city’s Systematic Mass Approach to Responsible Testing program, targets residents who are vehicle owners and who are unable to be tested through the other testing sites of Taguig City like hospitals and health centers.

Financial aid

Senator Francis Pangilinan Thursday asked the government fast-track the release of financial aid to COVID quarantine-affected farmers by decentralizing disbursement from Land Bank of the Philippines.

Malacañang’s fifth report to Congress submitted April 27 showed the Department of Agriculture’s financial subsidy to rice farmers reached only 53,881 (or 9.11 percent) out of 591,246 targeted farmers, and P645 million of FSRF’s P3 billion has been utilized.

“The disbursement of the FSRF has been painfully slow because it is still centralized with LandBank.”

Strengthening labs

An additional funding of 2 million euros in grants has just been awarded by French Development Agency for the ECOMORE II project, implemented by Institut Pasteur, which aims to strengthen the surveillance, diagnosis and response systems of Southeast Asian countries to epidemics.

This new funding will provide additional support, enabling the five partner countries of the region to cope with the COVID-19 epidemic, the agency said in a press statement.

Due to significant disparities in health systems both nationally and regionally, Southeast Asia is at high risk as COVID-19 continues to spread.

Although only 755 cases were confirmed in the area in the first two months of the epidemic, a second wave of contagion began in mid-March, leading to more than 6,000 cases, suggesting that major challenges lie ahead.

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