78-year-old convict surrenders in Laguna

SAN PEDRO CITY –– A 78-year-old convict released through the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) program surrendered to the police in Magdalena town in Laguna province, police said Friday.

The convict, who worked as a vegetable vendor almost a year after he was released from prison in October 2018, went to the Magdalena police station around 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

A report from the regional police office said Mendoza was convicted of rape on September 24, 2012.

Under the GCTA, convicts who had shown good conduct while in prison were eligible to an early release.

The law, however, became controversial amid alleged irregularities in the Bureau of Corrections, prompting President Duterte to order over 1,900 freed convicts to turn themselves in to the police./lzb