House to focus on amendments to GCTA law —Nograles

The House of Representatives is planning push amendments to improve the good conduct time allowance (GCTA) law, which is racked by controversies involving the release of several prisoners convicted for heinous crimes, House Assistant Majority Leader Fidel Nograles said on Friday.

"The House will be focused on amendments, what will be the possible amendments we can introduce to improve the GCTA law in order to avoid confusion," Nograles told ANC.

Nograles, who is also the vice chair of the House Committee on Justice, said the source of the "confusion" is Article 29 versus Article 97 of the Revised Penal Code, as amended by the GCTA law in regard to the scope of application."

"Because in Article 29, which speaks of credit for preventive imprisonment, has certain exclusions that are not found in Article 97," he said, adding that there is a need to reconcile the two provisions.

"You have to reconcile because you have to harmonize the two provisions to give effect to all the provisions of the law so there has to be specific exclusions, specifically in article 29 you need to adopt these exclusions in Article 97, as well, in order to avoid confusion."

Likewise, he said persons convicted of heinous crimes "should not be entitled to the GCTA," and that there is a need to "adopt a definition of heinous crimes."

Since the past few weeks, the GCTA law has been under scrutiny amid the controversy arising from the release of nearly 2,000 heinous crime convicts.

The law states that recidivists, habitual delinquents, escapees, and persons charged with heinous crimes are excluded from availing GCTA. —Margaret Claire Layug/LBG, GMA News