Fifty-two surrenderers have been released by the Bureau of Corrections on Friday after they were found to have been previously freed not because of good conduct time allowance, the Department of Justice said yesterday.
“BuCor has confirmed the release of the first two batches of 52 PDL-surrenderers yesterday,” said DoJ spokesman and Undersecretary Markk Perete.
“Those residing in Metro Manila were immediately released while transportation for those from the provinces is being arranged,” he added.
The spokesman said the 52 freed surrenderers were also issued certificates of their re-release after they were found previously freed because of acquittal, parole, pardon, and other reasons not because of the grant of the GCTA.
Aside from the 52, Perete said the DoJ and Bureau of Corrections joint task force conducting the screening of the surrenderers also listed on Friday 35 more persons set for release.
Those listed for release are among the 2,221 freed convicts who heeded the order of President Duterte to surrender by Sept. 19.
The number is already way more than the BuCor’s list of 1,914 inmates who were freed because of good conduct time allowance.
Duterte ordered them to surrender due to concerns that unqualified inmates including those convicted of heinous crimes may have benefited from Republic Act 10592.
RA 10592 which was passed in 2013 revised provisions of the Revised Penal Code and granted more GCTAs to convicts to allow their much earlier release. (Jeffrey Damicog)
