BACOLOD City – The Philippine National Police (PNP) yesterday put on hold the manhunt against persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) who were released through the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) following an order from the Department of Justice (DOJ) pending the issuance of the revised list of prematurely released heinous crime convicts.
Here, the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) announced it still accepts those freed convicts.
Lieutenant Colonel Ariel Pico, BCPO spokesperson, said five freed convicts surrendered – three at Police Station 2; one at Police Station 5; and other one at Police Station 1.
Pico said the BCPO has no official list yet of GCTA-released convicts from Bacolod City.
The GCTA Law has come under scrutiny after the Department of Justice announced that convicted rapist-killer Antonio Sanchez, former mayor of Calauan, Laguna, might be released from prison because of supposed good behavior.
“The arrest of GCTA-freed PDLs is suspended for now. We are waiting for the list from the DOJ and then, we will resume the manhunt. However, we advise the police officers on the ground to process those who will surrender and turn them over to the Bureau of Corrections,” said PNP deputy spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Kimberly Molitas, in a press briefing held in Camp Crame yesterday.
Molitas said the measure would ensure that the police would only arrest those who were prematurely released through GCTA.
“We need the list to make sure that our tracker teams will arrest the right persons. We also advised all regional directors to create also their own tracker teams to assist CIDG (Criminal Investigation and Detection Group),” she added./PN
