BY JEFFREY DAMICOG
The Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) Law also covers foreigners, said Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Friday.
“The GCTA law will apply to all persons, including aliens, convicted by final judgment by a Philippine court with competent jurisdiction and serving sentence in Philippine correctional institutions, unless non-application of GCTA to certain persons is expressly provided for by law or by international treaties or agreements,” he explained.
Republic Act 10592, also known as the GCTA law, was passed in 2013 to allow the earlier release of convicts based on GCTAs granted to them.
Guevarra pointed this out after the family of slain transgender questioned the order of the Olongapo City court to release early United States Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton after considering his GCTA credits.
Pemberton was convicted in 2015 for the 2014 killing of Laude and has been sentenced to imprisonment ranging from six to 10 years.
Lawyer Virginia Lacsa Suarez, legal counsel of the Laude family, argued Pemberton does not qualify to receive the benefits of the GCTA Law since he is a foreigner covered by the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines and the US.
Suarez said the VFA, which was invoked by Pemberton, allowed the American to serve his sentence at the military’s Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City where no one recorded if he did made good conduct.
President Duterte eventually granted absolute pardon to Pemberton as the chief executive explained it was not the American’s fault that no one recorded his good conduct. (Jeffrey Damicog)
