PRESO, Inc. and Saint Louis University Forge Strategic Partnership for Community Bail Bond Program Expansion

On June 23, 2025, the Prisoner’s Enhancement and Support Organization, Inc. (PRESO, Inc.) met with representatives from the Saint Louis University (SLU) School of Law led by Dean Yasmine Tadeo and Atty Victoria Dines to explore a strategic partnership for the expansion of the Community Bail Bond (CBB) Program in Baguio City. The PRESO team, led by Executive Director Ms. Teresita Gomez, Chief Consultant Dr. Raymund E. Narag, and Field Officer Ms. Solita Baltazar, discussed the proposed implementation framework with SLU to support Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDL) in pretrial detention.

The partnership aims to empower law students and faculty members of SLU in identifying, assessing, and assisting qualified PDLs who may be released on bail under the CBB Program. PRESO, Inc. will provide capacity-building, risk assessment, and technical support, while SLU will handle field implementation and post-release monitoring. This initiative reflects a shared commitment to restorative justice, public safety, and community reintegration.

Following the meeting, the PRESO and SLU delegation, through the assistance of the Baguio Catholic Volunteers in Prison Service VIPS), paid a courtesy visit to the Baguio City Jail, managed by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), to formally present the CBB Program to jail officials led by JCSUPT DELVIC L OREIRO, the newly designated Regional Director of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology – Cordillera Administrative Region and JCINSP JOHN WAYLAND M LAPON, City Jail Warden. The collaboration marks an important step in expanding legal aid and reintegration efforts beyond Metro Manila and fostering stronger academic-community engagement in the field of criminal justice reform.