Almost 700 released convicts surrender to PNP before deadline ends

MANILA, Philippines — Almost 700 convicts believed to have been erroneously released because of the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) law have surrendered to the Philippine National Police (PNP) as of Thursday, the deadline of the 15-day period set by President Rodrigo Duterte for their surrender.

Data from the PNP released on Friday showed that the total count of surrenderers in different police stations nationwide has reached 697 as of 11:59 p.m. on Thursday.

According to the data, there were 188 murder convicts, 83 homicide convicts, 69 convicted of robbery with homicide, 32 of drug-related cases, 20 of murder and frustrated murder, 13 of robbery with rape, 10 of robbery, 10 of frustrated homicide, nine of parricide, seven of illegal possession of firearms, six of theft, and five of attempted rape.

The surrenderers also included five convicts of violence against women and children, four of carnapping, three of kidnapping, three of acts of lasciviousness, three escapees, two of carnapping with homicide, two of illegal gambling, two of abduction with rape, two of attempted rape with homicide, two of murder and homicide, and two of murder and robbery.

Also among those who surrendered were a rape with homicide convict, a rape with murder convict, a rape and arson convict, a gun ban violation convict, a serious physical injury convict, and one convicted of illegal detention, the PNP data also showed.

Of these surrenderers, 410 have already been turned over to the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor).

Tracker teams of the PNP were activated on Friday to arrest heinous crime convicts erroneously released by the GCTA law, following the September 4 order of President Rodrigo Duterte for them to surrender.

However, the Department of Justice has ordered the temporary suspension of the arrest of released heinous crime convicts as the list submitted by the BuCor to the PNP included inmates who were released because of parole and executive clemency.  /muf