Almost 10,000 inmates walk free during coronavirus lockdown: Supreme Court

Authorities released nearly 10,000 inmates while the whole Luzon and other parts of the country were under lockdown to arrest the spread of the novel coronavirus, the Supreme Court said Friday. 

Of the 9,731 detainees who walked free from March 17 to April 29, 2,082 were from Metro Manila, 4,657 from other Luzon areas, 1,072 from Visayas and 1,920 from Mindanao, said the High Court. 

The Supreme Court earlier slashed bail for indigent detainees for offenses with a penalty of 6 months and one day to 20 yearS in a bid to de-congest jails and contain COVID-19 cases. 

At least 3 inmates have succumbed to the respiratory disease. 

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DZMM, May 1, 2020