MANILA – The Department of Justice (DOJ) ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) to suspend the manhunt operations against inmates released through the good conduct time allowance (GCTA) law.
DOJ secretary Menardo Guevarra on Friday said he ordered the suspension after a number of surrenderers exceeded the number of heinous crime convicts released under the GCTA law.
“We deemed it safe and prudent not to pursue any coercive law enforcement action at this time because we may unduly or unnecessarily endanger the life of not only the persons deprived of liberty (PDL) but even the law enforcement agents,” Guevarra added.
He said there was a total of 1,950 surrenderers since President Rodrigo Duterte issued the ultimatum but the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) data showed only 1,914 heinous crime convicts were released through the GCTA law since 2014.
“I myself was amazed. One reason for the discrepancy is that some of the surrenderers are not even on the list,” Guevarra said.
“Normally a PDL in that situation would react in this way: ‘It’s not my fault if I was released. I acted in good faith. They told me I could now go. So why should I come back?” he added.
Guevarra said another reason – why freed convicts were returning – was because they fear for their lives especially after Duterte gave a P1-million bounty for convicts who will be considered fugitives.
“One is probably they are afraid for their lives because the president said you better surrender otherwise you’ll be hunted down dead or alive. Maybe they fear for their lives. I guess that’s one primary reason,” he added.
“Maybe they don’t have any relatives welcoming them or they couldn’t find work anymore because they are quite old. They may actually feel life inside is better because I’m assured of 3 meals a day no matter how small it maybe,” Guevarra said.
Guevarra recommended a suspension of police operations against PDLs who have yet to surrender while BuCor reviews and verifies its list of freed convicts under the GCTA.
DOJ undersecretary Markk Perete, meanwhile, said the department has identified 40 PDLs that should not have been included in the GCTA list as they were pardoned or paroled.
He added the arrests will resume after the list is cleaned up and the names verified. The Metro Manila police earlier said it will deploy tracker teams to pursue 176 convicts prematurely released under the good conduct law.
“We understand na activated na ‘yung tracker teams pero ‘yung communication namin last night is huwag munang mag-rearrest,” Perete said.
“Ako po ay tumawag na rin sa ating Director for Operations ng PNP at, while waiting for the official guidance, ay suspended po muna ang atin pong mga tracker teams na sa ngayo’y nasa labas,” he added.
“Pero nasa labas pa rin po sila at naka-continue to monitor kasi sa ngayon po meron pa kaming 170 na nasa listahan na ang address ay Metro Manila,” Perete said.
The implementation of Republic Act 10592, which increases the “good conduct time allowance” of prisoners, has come under fire after the DOJ announced that convicted rapist-killer Antonio Sanchez might be released from prison because of the supposed good behavior./PN
