CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines — At least eight persons convicted of various grave crimes but were released under the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) law in Northern Mindanao turned themselves in to authorities, the Philippine National Police-10 (PNP-10) said Tuesday.
The individuals, PNP-10 said, voluntarily went to the police after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered them to surrender to the law enforcement agencies that will facilitate their way back to the penal institution where they served their sentence.
“All of them committed a heinous crime such as murder, rape, rape and robbery, robbery with homicide, and rape and arson,” it said.
Lieutenant Colonel Mardy Hortillosa, Police Regional Spokesperson, said many of these freed convicts came from the Davao Prison and Penal Farm in Panabo City, Davao del Norte, and Iwahig Penal Prison and Farm in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.
He said some of those who surrendered have already been sent back to their respective penitentiary facilities, while others are still waiting to be transported.
As the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) is tasked with handling the surrenderees , Hortillosa said they could not give the exact number of those who have already returned.
He said the persons who were deprived of liberty are from Bukidnon, Camiguin, and Lanao del Norte.
“Their release started on December 2018 and the latest of them released through GCTA law was on April 17, 2019,” he said.
One of those who surrendered was one Larry Canunay, male, single, 49, of Purok 10 Puerta, Barangay Lurugan, Valencia City, said Valencia police chief Lieutenant Colonel Surki Sereñas.
Sereñas said Canunay, who was convicted for rape and arson, went to this office on Sept. 6. He has been serving his sentence at the Davao Prison and Penal Farm since 1991, and was released through the GCTA on March 22, 2019.
“[Canunay said] that he never hesitated to surrender early upon hearing the directive of the President said that all released convicts through GCTA should surrender after the 15 days of liberty period,” Sereñas.
PNP-10 regional director Brigadier General Rafael Santiago Jr. said: “We will double our efforts to arrest and put them back in prison these subject personalities if they will not surrender on the specified period by [Duterte] to them.” (davaotoday.com)
