100 freed heinous crime convicts yield, says corrections bureau

CEBU CITY –– At least a hundred convicts released under the good conduct time allowance (GCTA) law have surrendered to authorities since Wednesday, September 4.

Bureau of Corrections officer-in-charge Melvin Ramon Buenafe, in a phone interview, said the number was recorded until Sunday or five days after President Duterte gave a 15-day ultimatum for convicts of heinous crimes released over good conduct to surrender.

Among those who surrendered were Ariel Balansag and Alberto Caño, the two convicts in the 1997 rape-slay of Marijoy and Jacqueline Chiong in Cebu City.

Buenafe said they were waiting for the police to turn over heinous crime convicts who surrendered to them.

In Cebu, five released convicts surrendered to the police and are now under the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

Buenafe said they would coordinate with the police as to the procedures in turning over these convicts to the BuCor.

“For Cebu, the nearest regional prison facility is in Leyte. So those near Leyte will be brought there and we will be for recomputing,” he said.

President Duterte ordered those released due to the GCTA law to surrender for a re-computation of their benefits.

Since 2013, a total of 1,914 heinous crime convicts have been released.

Those who won’t surrender, the President said, would be considered a “fugitive of justice” and considered a “criminal.”

He also dangled a P1-million reward for the arrest of each freed convict dead or alive./lzb