Police Regional Office-6 (PRO-6) spokesperson, Police Lt. Colonel Joem Malong, said they will conduct an ‘Oplan: Tokhang’ for convicts who were released under RA 10592, an amendment to the Revised Penal Code referred to as the “Good Conduct Time Allowance Law.”
According to the law enforcement official, they have received orders from Philippine National Police Director-General Oscar Albayalde to assist those who have surrendered in order for them to be accounted for by the Bureau of Corrections.
Records provided by Malong showed, out of the 149 recorded convicts released for good conduct in the Western Visayas, 78 of them are from Negros Occidental with 21 believed to be living in Bacolod City.
She again appealed for convicts to surrender as they will be subjected to police operations if the 15-day ultimatum given by President Rodrigo Duterte expires.
Earlier, the Bacolod City Police Office urged convicts living in the city to surrender to the nearest police station, where they will undergo the normal booking procedure.
Local police community relations divisions were also ordered to coordinate with barangay officials to see if there are any former convicts residing in their respective areas.
The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, meanwhile, confirmed that two convicts have already surrendered in the towns of Calatrava and La Castellana this week.
The good conduct law recently came to light after it was revealed convicted rapist-murderer Antonio Sanchez, former mayor of Calauan, Laguna, was set to be released for “good conduct.”
He was sentenced to seven life sentences for the murder of two University of the Philippines-Los Baños students in 1995. One of the victims was also reportedly raped by Sanchez and his henchmen.
Duterte later ordered Sanchez to remain in prison as the law was temporarily suspended pending an amendment by lawmakers./DGB, WDJ