The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
By Mike G. Jamisola
If the National Commission of Senior¹ Citizens (NCSC) and the Bureau of Correc tions (BuCor) will have its way, many senior citizen PDLs will live the remaining years of their lives in freedom.
This was the consensus arrived by former AFP chief of staff and now, BuCor director general Lt. Gen Gergorio Pio Catapang, Jr., NCSC Chairman Franklin Quijano and Comm. Rainier Cruz at the latter’s visit here on Friday.
Quijano and Comm. Cruz, himself a former BuCor chief exchanged ideas including the latest NCSC programs and services for the country’s elderly including Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) with Catapang. T
he three officials vowed to work out a way to facilitate the granting of commutation of sentence, conditional pardon and even conditional clemency to deserving senior PDLs. Quijano, in his short message shared the NCSC plans and programs for the country’s elderly including the PDLs, who are very much a part of the NCSC’s constituency.
He also batted for a minimal honoraria for profitable ideas and talents and appealed to the public to accept reformed PDLs when they re-integrate to the society.
BuCor chief Catapang agreed with Quijano’s appeal to the PDLs to leave their talents, expertise and abilities as a legacy to the next generation and thanked the NCSC for giving time and effort for the welfare and benefit of BuCor’s elderly population.
Comm. Cruz also gave an inspirational message to the PDLs and urged them to be productive citizens of the society when they finally rejoin the normal society. (Photo credits to Jason Suniega, Kenwey Alcalde and Aminollah Macasilang)