The New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City. INQUIRER file photo
MANILA, Philippines — A total of 25 convicts believed to be erroneously released from prison under the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) law have surrendered to police stations nationwide as of 6:38 p.m. on Friday.
Data from the Philippine National Police (PNP) showed that 19 convicts in Cagayan Valley, and one each in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, and Cordillera Administrative Region yielded to authorities.
Among those freed under the GCTA law who surrendered to police is a person convicted of murder, homicide, double frustrated murder, and grave threat.
Other surrenderers are eight persons convicted of murder, eight for rape, two for robbery with rape, one for murder with robbery, one for murder and frustrated murder, one for attempted rape with homicide, two for robbery with homicide, and one for a drug-related case.
They are now in the custody of different police units, according to the PNP.
Meanwhile, PNP chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde said the police had not received a report of any heinous crime convict who had already left the country, after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered all freed heinous crime convicts under the GCTA to surrender to authorities.
“Pero hindi po malayo na meron pong nakalabas sa kanila lalo na po ‘yung mga foreign nationals (But it is not far-fetched that some of them have left the country, especially foreign nationals),” he said in an interview with DZRH, referring to the 1,914 convicts of heinous crimes released under the Republic Act 10592 which enforces the GCTA.
RA 10592 shortens the prison sentence of convicts as a reward for showing good conduct while serving jail time.
He added that the PNP may tap the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), an intergovernmental organization enabling its 194 member countries to share and access data on crimes and criminals, to hunt convicts of heinous crimes released on good conduct who might have already left the country. /je
READ: Duterte to freed heinous crime convicts: Surrender now