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The provincial government of South Cotabato plans to launch a livelihood program for inmates at the South Cotabato Rehabilitation and Detention Center or the provincial jail to allow them to raise funds for their basic needs and the required expenses for their pending court cases.

South Cotabato Governor Arthur Pingoy Jr. said Friday they came up with such plan to provide poor inmates the opportunity to earn some income while in jail and open up alternative means for some of them to raise the necessary funds for the litigation of their cases as well as the payment of their bail bonds.

He said the move will allow the pending cases of some inmates to move and eventually help address the jail facility’s problems on overpopulation.

In a meeting with prosecutors and trial court judges in the province earlier this week, the governor said he found out that one of the main reasons why many inmates were overstaying at the provincial jail was their inability to pay for their bail bonds.

“There are a lot of inmates who were already allowed by our courts to post bail and return to their homes but had failed to do so because they can’t afford to pay the required bail bond,” the governor said.

Lawyer German Operiano, president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) South Cotabato chapter, immediately expressed support to the local government’s plans.

He admitted that some of the inmates at the jail could already gone home a long time ago if not for their hefty bail bonds.

“We cannot just adjust the amount of the bail bonds, especially for capital offenses, but we can help the inmates raise them by providing them some income opportunities,” he said.

Felicito Gumapac, acting South Cotabato jail warden, said the provincial jail facility currently houses some 902 inmates. = PNA

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