At least 25 out of the total 1,914 convicts who were freed due to the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) law have voluntarily surrendered to police since President Duterte ordered for their re-arrest, data from the Philippine National Police (PNP) bared last night.
PNP data showed 19 convicts surrendered in Cagayan Valley (Region 2); and one each in National Capital Region (NCR); Central Luzon (Region 3); Calabarzon (Region 4A); Central Visayas (Region 7), Eastern Visayas (Region 8) and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) as of 6:38 p.m.
Eight of them were convicted of murder; eight of rape; two of robbery with rape; two of robbery with homicide; and one each of murder and robbery; murder and frustrated murder; attempted rape with homicide; murder, homicide, double frustrated murder and grave threat; and drug-related charge.
There were also those who reportedly surrendered straight to the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor).
“Maganda po ang lumalabas na marami na ang nag-surrender. Ang iba ay dumidiretso accordingly sa BuCor (Bureau of Corrections) at sa atin,” said Police General Oscar Albayalde in a radio interview over DZRH.
“Kusang sumurrender ito at ang iba naman ay mga kaibigan ng pulis kaya po sila ay dinala sa pinakamalapit na himpilan ng pulisya,” he added.
One of the returnees, Nicanor Naz, surrendered to the Pasay City Police around 3 p.m. on Thursday, said National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Director Guillermo Eleazar.
Naz was convicted of a drug-related charge and was sentenced to life imprisonment. He was released from Davao Prison and Penal Farm in Davao del Norte on July 11, 2019 pursuant to a memorandum issued by sacked Bureau of Corrections chief Nicanor Faeldon. He had served 40 years in prison.
Albayalde said the returning inmates were subjected to documentation and medical examination before they were temporarily detained at local police stations. They will be turned over to the Bureau of Corrections.
Meanwhile, tracker teams from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) tapped to run after the released convicts will be deployed across the country after the 15-day grace period given to the released convicts.
“Our tracker teams from the CIDG are on-standby mode. After the grace period, we will start the arrests,” Albayalde said.
Duterte ordered on Wednesday night the re-arrest of 1,914 convicts released due to the GCTA law. The President then gave a 15-day grace period for the released convicts to surrender or they will be re-arrested by the police and military.
While some argued that it would be a violation of the law to re-arrest the released convicts, Albayalde said they could now be considered fugitives since their release was prohibited under the GCTA law.
Under the Republic Act 10592, inmates convicted of heinous crimes shall not be beneficiaries of the law.
Albayalde said they will focus on monitoring and tracking the locations of those involved in sensational cases, such as those involved in the Chiong rape-slay case.
Faeldon earlier confirmed the release of three suspects convicted in the 1997 case of sisters Marijoy and Jacqueline Chiong in Cebu. They are Josman Aznar, Ariel Balansag and Alberto Cano.
“We will look for them. So far, we have not received any information that they have gone out of the country,” he said.
The PNP will also focus on monitoring those who were convicted of drug-related charges, especially Chinese drug lords.
“It’s likely that some of them will try to go out of the country. We have coordinated with the Interpol [International Criminal Police Organization]. They can be rearrested by the Interpol if they have a red notice,” Albayalde said. (Martin A. Sadongdong)
