MANILA, Philippines — The move to revise the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) on the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) Law is a “remedial” move to cover up the “most scandalous corruption” the Department of Justice (DOJ) faced, Senator Leila De Lima said Thursday.
“DOJ Secretary Menardo Guevarra does not seem to be so confident with their revised IRR on RA 10592,” De Lima said in a statement.
“He believes that if it is not the correct interpretation of the law, it is up to the Supreme Court to settle any question raised against it,” the detained senator said in a statement.
De Lima added that Guevarra was “passing the buck to the Court” regarding the interpretation of RA 10592, which increases the GCTA of inmates.
“He does not whistle in the dark because anyway, the Court is always there to chase away the ghosts this new IRR has created,” she said.
“Because that is what this new IRR has raised, the ghosts of dead hopes and frustrated dreams of PDLs (Persons Deprived of Liberty) who, though convicted of heinous crimes, have faithfully complied with the GCTA Law and did their part as much as they can, given the harsh and brutish conditions of Philippine prisons,” she added.
“And for what reasons? To cover up the corruption of (Nicanor Faeldon, former Bureau of Corrections head) and their negligence in the enforcement of the GCTA Law to the end that hardened criminals and multiple life sentence-servers did not easily go around the provisions of the law and buy GCTA credits with cash.”
The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) completed and signed the revised IRR on Monday.
The new IRR bears a clarified provision stating “recidivists, habitual delinquents, escapists and those convicted of heinous crimes” are excluded from benefitting the GCTA.
READ: DOJ, DILG complete, sign revised IRR of GCTA law
Despite this, she thanked Guevarra for saying that she and former DILG Secretary Mar Roxas should not be blamed for the problems that arose in the previous IRR.
“Pero alam ko rin na ako ang ginawang palusot na naman ng Administrasyong Duterte para malihis ang pagdiin sa paboritong tuta ni Duterte at sa kanyang tagapagsalita na namagitan sa mga opisyales ng Board of Pardons and Parole para pakawalan ang kanyang dating kliyente na si Mayor Sanchez,” she added, referring to Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo.
“Buking na buking na kasi ang kanilang kahayupan sa pagpapalaya sa malinaw na hindi maaaring makalabas sa ilalim ng GCTA law,” the opposition senator said. “Pero pinilit nila dahil sila ang nasa kapangyarihan. Ginamit at nagpagamit naman ang ilang kasama ko sa Senado para ilihis ang isyu kay Faeldon at Panelo.”
“Nakakahiya, nakakasulasok, nakakadiri na ang lahat ng panggagagong ginagawa ng gobyernong Duterte para lamang mailigtas ang tutang si Faeldon at ang payasong si Panelo,” she said.
The victims in this case, according to De Lima, are the PDLs who deserve to walk free due to the GCTA, but will never benefit from the revised IRR that serves as a cover-up from Faeldon’s blunder. /muf