Sotto sees GCTA law amended by end of the year

Senate President Vicente Sotto III expressed confidence Wednesday that Congress will be able to pass amendments to the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) law before the year ends.

“Talagang bibilisan namin ito, talagang fastbreak ito,” Sotto told reporters, noting that many of the qualified beneficiaries of the GCTA law are now complaining because the process for their release has been suspended.

He said he will also ask his counterpart in the House of Representatives to do the same.

“I will be coordinating with the Speaker of the House, former senator Alan Peter Cayteno, na fastbreak-in din nila yung kanila para mabilis ‘yung amendments and I’m sure the President will sign it right away,” he said.

“‘Yang mga ganyang emergency measure kailangan ‘yan apurahin kasi kawawa naman those languishing in jails na talaga namang qualified lalo na kung hindi heinous crimes,” he added.

The Senate adjourned its Wednesday session early to hold a caucus and discuss the amendments they will introduce to the law.

Sotto said they earlier thought of repealing the law or coming up with a new law but realized that it would be better to amend it.

“There are good amendments that are being proposed, kaya puwedeng amyendahan na namin kaagad yung batas ng mabilisan at linawin,” he said.

One of the amendments they will propose is that the implementing rules and regulations should be approved by Congress so that it still embodies the essence of the law and avoid misinterpretation.

Under the existing law, the IRR is crafted by the departments that will implement the law.

“Siguruhin doon sa after the repealing clause and all that, ilagay namin na ang IRR ay kailangan ang approval ng Congress para hindi nababago yung intention ng batas,” Sotto said.

“Kung maaari nga lang, kung ako ang masusunod, wala nang IRR, ienumerate na natin lahat kung ano ang puwede at hindi,” he said.

He added they might also include that provision in the future measures that will be passed.

“Dapat lahat ng batas na kakailanganin ng IRR, magkaroon tayo ng approval ng Congress,” he said.

“Itong batas na ito (sa GCTA) na aamyendahan namin ilalagay namin yun. Ngayon, pag-aralan namin kung paano lalahatin lahat ng mga IRR. Well, of course, this will be prospective,” he said. 

During the hearings, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra's proposed amendments include a clear classification of whether the law should be on reformative and rehabilitative side, or punitive or retributive, and clear definition of “heinous crimes.”

“We came to a conclusion that the intent of the law was to exclude those convicted of heinous crimes, as well as habitual delinquents, escapists, recidivists. But that came only after a tedious and laborous harmonization of the various provisions of this law,” he said.

“Had it been clearly stated in one single provision — standalone provision — that the benefits of this law shall not apply to these classes of people, then we'll probably not have a confusion such as what we have now,” he added. — RSJ, GMA News