46 GCTA surrenderees bolt Iwahig prison

Forty-six prisoners in Puerto Princesa, who were released by virtue of the controversial good conduct time allowance (GCTA) scheme but surrendered in September, have escaped from the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm (IPPF)’s recreational area where they were being held since their return.

The inmates were able to break the lock of the recreational area’s gate, which has been serving as a temporary holding area for GCTA beneficiaries,

and fled the prison compound at 2:30 p.m. the other day during a heavy downpour, Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) spokesman Maj. Alberto Tapiru told The STAR.

In an interview, Tapiru said eight of the escapees returned yesterday following talks with BuCor officials and local cops. The prison agency said it was on the lookout for the 38 inmates who remain at large.

The escapees, however, will not be considered threats considering that they have previously been granted liberty due to good conduct, Tapiru said.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is yet to verify and process the records of GCTA grantees, including the 46 who fled Iwahig, he said.

The DOJ in late August revealed that around 11,000 inmates, including former Calauan town, Laguna mayor and rape-murder convict Antonio Sanchez, would supposedly be freed through enforcement of Republic Act 10592, which amended provisions of the Revised Penal Code pertaining to commutation or reduction of sentence due to good conduct.

This prompted the Senate to hold probes on the GCTA mess and President Duterte to order GCTA grantees to yield to authorities within 15 days or face arrests.

As of late September, 2,221 GCTA grantees had surrendered to authorities, more than the 1,914 listed by the BuCor, according to the DOJ.