PNP begins manhunt for convicts on DOJ’s list
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has submitted to the Department of the Interior Government (DILG) a partial list of heinous crimes
convicts who have to be arrested after being freed because of good conduct time allowance (GCTA).
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra disclosed that he has already sent on Monday afternoon to Interior Secretary Eduardo Año the partial list which contains the names of 19 persons who have to be arrested after having failed to heed the call of President Rodrigo Duterte to surrender.
“This list is a partial list only, most of whom have just a few more months to serve in prison,” Guevarra said.
Tracker teams from the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) were ordered Tuesday to hunt down three of the 19 convicts that were released through the anomalous implementation of the GCTA Law but defied calls to surrender until now.
NCRPO director Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said he had already issued the names of the three convicts and other details to his tracker teams for follow-up operations.
“Our tracker teams are now working to locate and bring back them to jail,” ssid Eleazar.
While the NCRPO tracker teams have been provided the details, it was learned that all those whose last known address in Metro Manila have no photos with them.
Only 12 of the 19 convicts have photos.
Guevarra assured that the DOJ and Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) will continue to sift through the list of inmates who were released because of GCTA and determine who are not qualified to be released.
“Sinusuyod ng DOJ-BuCor task force (The DOJ-BuCor) task force is combing through) ang case records of each PDL (persons deprived of liberty) with extreme care to ensure accuracy. This is a very tedious task, I tell you,” he pointed out.
“The task force will release supplementary lists for submission to the DILG/PNP every now and then,” he added.
87 released
The BuCor has now released a total of 87 surrenderers.
“The BuCor has confirmed the release of the third batch of 35 PDL surrenderers, bringing the total to 87 so far,” said DOJ spokesman and Undersecretary Markk Perete.
The first and second batches consisting of 52 surrenderers were released just last Friday.
“The fourth batch of 27 PDLs is undergoing review by the Oversight Committee,” Perete said.
“The Joint Task Force, meanwhile, continues to evaluate the carpetas (prison records) of surrenderers and is expected to submit a fifth batch soon,” he added.
A total of 2,221 freed convicts heeded President Duterte order for all inmates who were released because of good conduct time allowance (GCTA) to surrender.
RA 10592, which was passed in 2013, amended provisions of the Revised Penal Code (RPC) and granted more GCTAs to inmates to allow for their much earlier release.