4 Chinese drug lords released from Bilibid in June —Lacson

At least five Chinese drug lords were released by the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) over the last two months, Senator Panfilo Lacson bared on Thursday.

Lacson said he got a copy of the names of some convicts released recently from the New Bilibid Prison and found out that at least four of them were convicted Chinese drug lords.

He said Chan Chit Yue, Kin San Ho, Ching Che, and Wu Hing Sum were released in June 2019.

The former national police chief said the four were from Building 14, Maximum Security Compound.

“Their whereabouts are unknown as per information coming out of the NBP,” he said in a text message to reporters.

Another convict, Ho Wai Pang, was transferred to the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation. Lacson was not aware if the convict has been deported out of the country.

“All these Chinese drug lords had been convicted for violation of illegal drug laws,” he said.

Lacson said he does not have all the details yet “except that GCTA (Good Conduct Time Allowance law) din ang reason for the release.”

He said he is still trying to get the documents to further validate the information.

“Actually, they were released to the custody of the Bureau of Immigration for possible deportation but these are convicted Chinese drug lords that have already been released… all these Chinese drug lords have been convicted for violation of the illegal drug laws,” he told reporters.

The former national police chief said the four were from Building 14, Maximum Security Compound and were transferred to Bureau of Immigration and Deportation.

Lacson did not directly say if the four were released due to the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) law.

Lacson said he also asked for a list of those set to be released on August 20, which supposedly includes convicted rapist-murderer Antonio Sanchez, but he was told that the list was missing.

“We are trying to look for a copy of the August 20 release order in favor of Mayor Sanchez but apparently nawawala ang kopya,” he said.

Sanchez, a former mayor of Calauan, Laguna, and his family claimed that his release documents have already been signed. 

Sanchez was convicted in 1995 for the rape and murder of UP Los Baños student Eileen Sarmenta and the killing of her friend Allan Gomez in 1993. News of his possible release has sparked public outrage, prompting Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra to order BuCor to suspend for the meantime the processing of GCTA beneficiaries.

Guevarra had earlier announced that Sanchez, together with some 11,000 inmates, may be released from prison within the next two months due to the GCTA component of the law. But the  DOJ later changed its tune and said that Sanchez is not eligible to avail of the GCTA.

BuCor director Nicanor Faeldon said the agency has yet to review Sanchez’s records but has initially found that he may not be released soon on account of “not good behavior.”

While detained at the maximum security compound of the New Bilibid Prison, Sanchez had been charged with possession of illegal drugs. —KBK/VDS, GMA News