THE Police Regional Office-Western Visayas (PRO-6) has yet to receive an order from the national headquarters to re-arrest convicts who were freed under the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) law.
PRO-Western Visayas spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Joem Malong, said they are waiting for the official communication from the Philippine National Police in order to track down the freed convicts.
Although there is no official communication, Malong pointed out they can still re-arrest convicts if local police monitor their presence in a certain area.
Malong also stated they are also waiting for the list of 1,914 individuals freed under the GCTA law in order to determine if there are convicts from Western Visayas.
President Rodrigo Duterte has issued a statement of advice to the recipients of the GCTA who committed heinous crimes to voluntarily surrender to their respective police office or else they will be considered as fugitives.
The GCTA law became controversial after it was discovered that former Calauan, Laguna mayor Antonio Sanchez was supposed to be one of the recipients of the law.
Sanchez was sentenced to serve seven life sentences for the rape and murder of two students of the University of the Philippines-Los Baños in 1995.
The controversy has resulted to the sacking of Nicanor Faeldon as chief of the Bureau of Corrections. (TDE)