Philippine National Police (PNP) deputy director, Police Lt. General Archie Francisco, yesterday affirmed the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Department of Justice (DOJ) is providing a one-day extension for convicts who were earlier released under RA 10592, an amendment to the Revised Penal Code referred to as the “Good Conduct Time Allowance Law,” to surrender.
The PNP official, who visited the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO) headquarters in Bacolod City’s Barangay Estefania, said both the DILG and DOJ likely made the decision due to a request from President Rodrigo Duterte.
Although the extension was only effective from 12:00 a.m. on Friday until 12:00 a.m. on Saturday, Francisco said convicts who refuse to surrender and resist arrest will be subject to the “full force of the law.”
The PNP official said a lot of convicts have surrendered to police, even those not covered by the good conduct law, which he claims may have been a result of threats from the president.
“To be safe, they probably decided to surrender instead of being subject to arrest,” he pointed out.
Francisco added, the DOJ is preparing a clean list of convicts released under the said law.
Earlier, NOPPO reported seven convicts had surrendered in various towns and cities across the province.
The good conduct law earlier 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