Rolito Go among GCTA-freed inmates ordered to surrender —NCRPO

Businessman Rolito Go, who was convicted for the fatal road rage shooting of a De La Salle University student over two decades ago and released due to good conduct in 2016, may find himself back in government custody anew.

Go was jailed for the fatal shooting of DLSU engineering student Eldon Maguan in 1991 but was given an early release in December of 2016 based on good conduct time allowance (GCTA).

A report on GMA News' Unang Balita on Friday quoted National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director Major General Guillermo Eleazar as confirming that the convicted killer is among the GCTA-freed inmates who failed to turn themselves in within a 15-day deadline that expired Thursday.

But Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra clarified that Go should not be rearrested.

Guevarra told ANC television that his recollection was that Go had served his sentence in full. "That's why he's already out. And he should not be included here anymore."

Asked if there should be no police tracker teams at Go's house, the Justice chief said: "Yes, because he is not supposed to be one of those convicted of heinous crimes who were prematurely released on account of GCTA (good conduct time allowance)."

More than 1,900 convicted heinous crime offenders have been released from the New Bilibid Prison on the basis of the GCTA law, and President Rodrigo Duterte ordered them all to "surrender" within 15 days or be treated as "fugitives from justice."

However, as police tracker teams started to go after the convicts who failed to turn themselves in within the deadline, the Department of Justice (DOJ) requested on Friday that the rearrest operations be put on hold due to issues with the list issued earlier. — Margaret Claire Layug/RSJ, GMA News