DOJ asks PNP to put on hold rearrest of GCTA ex-cons

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has requested the police to put on hold for the meantime its operation to rearrest convicts freed through the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) law who defied the deadline for them to turn themselves in.

In an interview on Dobol B sa News TV on Friday, Justice Undersecretary Markk Perete said they made the request about 1 a.m. on Friday.

"We understand na activated na 'yung tracker teams pero 'yung communication namin last night is huwag munang mag-rearrest," Perete said.

Although operations of police tracker teams are suspended, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Police Major General Guillermo Eleazar said their monitoring will continue.

"Ako po ay tumawag na rin sa ating Director for Operations ng Philippine National Police (PNP) at, whille waiting for the official guidance, ay suspended po muna ang atin pong mga tracker teams na sa ngayoy nasa labas," he said.

"Pero nasa labas pa rin po sila sa labas at naka-continue to monitor kasi sa ngayon po meron pa kaming 170 na nasa listahan na ang address ay Metro Manila." 

Perete said they will verify reports of arrests made after President Rodrigo Duterte's September 19 surrender deadline lapsed.

As of 12 midnight of Thursday, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) has received a total of 1,950 PDL's or persons deprived of liberty, which is higher than the 1,914 convicts on the original BuCor list, Perete said.

The 1,914 prisoners convicted of heinous crimes, like rape, murder, and drug-related offenses, were released because their sentences were considered expired, having been shortened by GCTAs provided for under Republic Act No. 10592.

Duterte ordered them to surrender following the recent government stance that those charged with heinous crimes should be disqualified from earning time credits for good behavior. This exception is now in the revised implementing rules and regulations of RA 10592.

"Tinanong namin sa Bureau of Corrections at that point na paano nangyari na mas marami yung actual surrenderers than those included in the list," he said.

"So ngayon because of that we requested our PNP (Philippine National Police) to hold yung kanilang rearrest kasi kailangan na naming linisin ngayon yung original na list ng Bureau of Corrections," Perete added.

In Malacañang, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said he hopes the DOJ will be able to clean up the list by next week.

“I guess we will just leave it to the DOJ kung gaano kabilis nila ma-screen at ma-finalize ang listahan. Siguro hopefully by next week medyo malinaw na kung sino talaga yung hahabulin ng PNP,” Nograles told reporters.

Nograles also welcomed the decision of freed convicts to comply with Duterte’s directive.

The DOJ said it has been cleaning up the list, which was revealed to contain several errors, in order to avoid cases of mistaken identity and possible violence in the course of the arrests. The records chief of the BuCor admitted the list had been hastily made.

"We don't want to waste the government resources sa paghahanap ng mga hindi naman dapat tugisin," Perete said in the Dobol B sa News TV interview.

"We also do not want 'yung possible na incidents where mapu-put in peril both 'yung life ng hindi naman dapat arestuhin, at the same time 'yung ating mga kapulisan."

Perete also said the DOJ has ordered the BuCor to immediately release the persons who surrendered despite not being included in the original list.

"Tsaka pa lang tayo magre-recompute at magri-reevaluate ng actual surrenderees na hindi entitled sa GCTA," he said. —Nicole-Anne C. Lagrimas and Virgil Lopez/KBK, GMA News