Dela Rosa: Only 1 drug convict freed under GCTA during my term at NBP

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa on Monday pointed out that of the 120 heinous crime convicts released during his time as Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief, only one was convicted for illegal drugs.

During the joint Senate hearing into the implementation of Republic Act 10592 on the good conduct time allowance (GCTA), Dela Rosa clarified that he has only released 120 inmates convicted of heinous crimes and not 384 as earlier reported.

READ: Clamor mounts for ouster of BuCor chief 

The former top cop, also known as the architect of the administration’s bloody drug war, said most convicts released when he was BuCor chief were guilty of rape and murder.

“I was assigned [BuCor] director general [on] April 2018 to October 2018, in a matter of six months…na actually possibly 120 lang ang napirmahan ko, but out of this 120…isa lang diyan ‘yong convicted ng Republic Act 6425 or Dangerous Drugs Act. I just wanted to set the record straight, 120 lang, posible pa bababa pa yan dahil pinapa-check ko yung records don,” he explained.

The Senate committee on justice and human rights and the blue ribbon committee conducted a joint hearing into the implementation of the law that increased the GCTA given to prisoners.

This following the reported possible freedom of convicted rapist and murderer former Calauan Mayor Antonio Sanchez, who was sentenced to seven life imprisonments for the brutal killing of two University of the Philippines-Los Baños students in 1993. /jpv