EIGHTY-ONE convicts of heinous crimes, who have been released on the basis of good conduct time allowance (GCTA) under Republic Act 10592, have turned themselves in to authorities as of yesterday, according to the Department of Justice.
The 81 convicts are now under the custody of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor)
President Duterte last week told the released heinous crimes convicts to surrender within 15 days or they will be arrested. He issued the order amid controversy arising from reports that rape and murder convict Antonio Sanchez, former mayor of Calauan town in Laguna, was supposed to be released last month for good conduct.
The BuCor’s updated list said 2,160 inmates convicted of heinous crimes have been granted early release, majority of whom committed rape (939) followed by murder with 874 and 261 for drug-related offenses.
At least 11,000 inmates are seen to benefit from the GTCA law which was passed in 2013.
Among notorious inmates who have surrendered were Ariel Balansag and Alberto Caño, who were among seven individuals convicted for the 1997 rape-slay of sisters Jacqueline and Marijoy Chiong in Cebu. They surrendered last Friday, or two days after Duterte issued the order. Another, Josman Aznar, has not surrendered.
Justice Undersecretary Markk Perete said none of the released inmates has left the country, based on a report received by the DOJ from the Bureau of immigration.
The DOJ said “all immigration officers and NBI agents in our ports and airports have been placed on full alert” to look out for any inmates who might leave the country.
Perete also said a DOJ interim oversight committee headed by Undersecretary Deo Marco will meet today with BuCor officials headed by OIC Melvin Ramon Buenafe to discuss coordinating mechanisms, and conduct inspections, among others.
The oversight committee is tasked to “watch over” the BuCor until a new director general is appointed.
PNP LIST
The PNP said 65 GCTA inmates have surrendered as of 8 a.m. yesterday.
The National Operations Center (NOC) of the Directorate for Operations based in Camp Crame said all of those who have yielded were either brought back to the BuCor in Muntinlupa City or remained detained in the police stations where they surrendered, pending their turnover to the BuCor.
The highest number of surrenderers came from the Cagayan Valley region with 24, followed by those from the Mimaropa region with 11, while those from Central Visayas came in next with seven.
Bicol region had five. There were four each from Caraga and the Cordilleras, three in Eastern Visayas, two each from the National Capital Region and Western Visayas, and one each from Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog, and Northern Mindanao.
The NOC said 26 of those who surrendered were convicted of rape, 19 for murder, four for robbery with homicide, three each for robbery with rape and violation of dangerous drugs laws, two for homicide, and one each for robbery with murder, attempted rape with homicide, parricide, car theft, robbery, rape with homicide, and rape with arson, and double frustrated murder.
The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said five have surrendered to police stations in Metro Manila since Thursday.
NCRPO Dir. Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said three of them surrendered to the Northern Police District (NPD), one to the Manila Police District (MPD) and another one to the Southern Police District (MPD) as of noon of Sunday. — With Raymond Africa and Rod Lagusad