By Mary Noll Christine P. Caadyang THE CATHOLIC Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) called on President Rodrigo Duterte to grant executive clemency to elderly and sick prisoners. In a letter addressed to Duterte on Oct. 17, the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Prison and Pastoral Care (ECPPC) said prisoners are “longing to be free” and sought the Church’s help for their freedom behind bars. Bishop Leopoldo Tumulak, chair of the prison ministry, said many prisoners and their families have been enduring the effect of incarceration for several years.
“We would like to appeal to His Excellency to grant their plea for executive clemency,” Bishop Tumulak said in the letter. The release of deserving prisoners, the bishop said, would be a “humanitarian act” on Duterte's side as the Church marks “Prison Awareness Week”, which concurs with the National Correctional Consciousness Week on Oct. 24 to 30. On Nov. 5 to 6, the Church will also celebrate the “Jubilee of Prisoners.” The Board of Pardons and Parole has given recommendations on the release of hundreds of inmates. Many of them range from ages 75 to 90 in seven national penitentiaries under the Bureau of Corrections. E
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