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Escudero: GCTA law's purpose is to serve rehabilitative, restorative justice


Former senator and now Sorsogon Governor Francis "Chiz" Escudero on Tuesday reminded the public that the purpose of the good conduct time allowance (GCTA) law is to serve rehabilitative and restorative justice.

While he welcomes the amendment of the GCTA, Escudero, who was one of the law's authors, said convicts should still be given the chance to be restored in society.

Due to the controversy surrounding the implementation of the law that gives convicts sentence cut for good behavior, its implementing rules and regulations (IRR) have been revised, now excluding persons convicted of heinous crimes from earning the sentence cut

“If you’re performing well in prison, you have to give them credit on that. They have to look forward on something beyond their prison terms,” Escudero said in an interview on ANC.

“The purpose is for convicts to look forward to the time that they can be restored to the society,” he added.

Escudero pointed out that the problem is not the GCTA law but only its implementation.

He suggested filing charges against supposed corrupt officials behind its implementation.

“Kung mali ang pagpapatupad ng GCTA at binenta nila ang GCTA, siguro ang dapat gawin din (ay) usigin at sampahan ng kaso ang tumanggap ng pera. Let’s give it a chance to implement it properly first,” he said.

“They are barking up the wrong tree by saying the law is wrong or defective,” he added.

The issue on GCTA was scrutinized in the Senate after it was reported that former Calauan, Laguna mayor Antonio Sanchez was to be released last month due to the GCTA law. In 1995, Sanchez was sentenced to seven terms of reclusion perpetua for the 1993 rape of University of the Philippines-Los Baños student Eileen Sarmenta and the killing of her friend, fellow UPLB student Allan Gomez.

The Senate inquiry revealed that GCTA was for sale as attested to by inmates.

Three Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) officials were suspended for six months by the Office of the Ombudsman due to the GCTA mess.

On September 4, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered prisoners who were released because of good conduct credits to surrender and register themselves with the BuCor in 15 days.

The Philippine National Police said 435 convicts already surrendered to police as of Monday.

The Department of Justice, however, said more than 500 have so far surrendered as of Saturday. —Joviland Rita/KG, GMA News

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