MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Franklin Drilon admitted on Saturday voting for the passage of the law that increased the good conduct time allowance (GCTA) for prisoners, but he did not realize its implications.
“When Section 3 was included in the committee report in the Senate, the senators, including me, did not realize the effect of expanding for good conduct to this extent,” Drilon said at the “Saturday Forum at Annabel’s” held in Quezon City.
Drilon was referring to Section 3 of Republic Act 10592, which mentions the adjustment for good conduct for “any offender qualified for credit for preventive imprisonment pursuant to Article 29 of this Code, or of any convicted prisoner in any penal institution, rehabilitation or detention center or any other local jail.”
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon discusses the GCTA law at the “Saturday Forum at Annabel’s” on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019. (Photo by RYAN LEAGOGO / INQURER.net)
“I admit I was one of those who voted but did not realize the implications of such a more liberal grant of time allowances for good conduct,” the senator said.
The Senate is currently investigating the early release of heinous crimes convicts under the GCTA.
This comes after public outrage arose from the attempted early release of rape-murder convict Antonio Sanchez, a former mayor of Calauan, Laguna.
READ: Antonio Sanchez, more than 10k other inmates to get out of prison ‘soon’
“I will repeat that, originally, this law was only designed for detention prisoners, not finally convicted prisoner,” Drilon said, referring to an earlier version of RA 10592.
“It was the Senate, who in its wise judgment, included the finally convicted prisoners and the provision that excludes life-termers in Section 1, which now only became the provision on preventive imprisonment,” he added.
He was referring to Section 1 of RA 10592, which excludes from the GCTA recidivists, habitual delinquents, escapees and persons charged with heinous crimes.
/atm