2 murder convicts in Quezon beat surrender deadline

LUCENA CITY –– Two convicted murderers believed to have been erroneously released due to the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) law surrendered separately to police in Quezon province on Thursday.

The first convict, 52, from General Nakar and the second, 51, from Agdangan town, surrendered to their respective municipal police stations, Col. Audie Madrideo, Quezon police chief, said in a report.

Police said the second convict was sentenced in 1997 by a court in Leyte province but was released on March 22, 2019, and has been residing since then in Agdangan.

The report did not state the circumstances behind the first convict’s imprisonment and date of release.

Both convicts are now under the custody of the local police and will be brought to the Bureau of Corrections for proper disposition.

On September 4, 2019, Duterte ordered over 1,900 convicts released due to the GCTA law to surrender in 15 days or face warrantless arrest.

The deadline set by the President ended on Thursday midnight.

Those who fail to surrender before the deadline may face warrantless arrest./lzb