Dela Rosa wanted authority to release life termers during BuCor watch

Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa on Tuesday said that when he was the director general of the Bureau of Corrections, he once requested that the authority to release some persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) be delegated to him.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, during a Senate hearing on Monday, bared that Dela Rosa sent a letter which requested the "authority to release PDLs on account of expired sentences be delegated to the BuCor chief" in 2018.  

Asked about this request on ANC's Headstart the next day, Dela Rosa said that he made the request because they were being charged by certain PDLs for failing to release them on time.

"The expiration of sentence from life sentence up to reclusion perpetua, sana ibigay sa'kin dahil 'yun nga sinasabi ko, after mag-expire ang sentence, pag hindi mo sila pinalabas...kami kakasuhan ng arbitrary detention, hindi naman ang DOJ (Department of Justice)," Dela Rosa said.

"So kaya nirequest ko doon na ibigay sa amin yung authority," he added.

Department of Order 953 requires the BuCor to first seek the Justice Secretary's permission before such releases could be enacted.

"According to the draft memorandum addressed to me—this was only a draft— but it made mention of a memorandum  dated June 4, 2018 from Usec Ronald Dela Rosa, director-general bureau of Corrections, requesting authority for the director-general to approve or act upon the following requests enumerated in Department of Order 953,” Guevarra said during the hearing.

The justice secretary, however, said that "no action was taken by the DOJ." —Margaret Claire Layug/NB, GMA News