Not 3 but 4 Chiong slay convicts were freed

MANILA, Philippines — Not three, but four of the seven men convicted in the 1997 kidnapping, rape and murder of sisters Marijoy and Jacqueline Chiong of Cebu City have been released through the law that rewards good behavior in prison, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has belatedly found out.

Justice Undersecretary Markk Perete on Monday confirmed that James Anthony Uy was among those released through Republic Act No. 10592.

Perete did not give details about the release, but said Uy was expected to turn himself in along with Josman Aznar, another released convict in the Chiong case.

Faeldon’s short report

Before he was sacked by President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday, Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Nicanor Faeldon told a Senate inquiry into the application of RA 10592 that three convicts in the Chiong case had been released — Aznar, Ariel Balansag and Alberto Caño.

Balansag and Caño surrendered on Friday night, a day after President Duterte ordered all the prisoners released through the good conduct credit law to surrender for a review of their records.

The seven men who were convicted in the Chiong case, mostly scions of prominent families in Cebu, were sentenced to 40 years in prison.

Also convicted were Francisco Juan “Paco” Larrañaga, great-grandson of former President Sergio Osmeña; Rowen Adlawan, and Uy’s older brother, James Andrew.

Larrañaga is serving his sentence in Spain under a prisoner swap deal.