CBCP welcomes new set of rules for good conduct time allowances

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Tuesday welcomed the revisions to the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the controversial good conduct time allowance (GCTA).

The IRR of Republic Act No. 10592 now clearly excludes persons convicted of heinous crimes from benefit.

"Apparently, itong bagong IRR ay nagbigay ng clarity over the confusion na nangyari doon sa unang GCTA law,"  Fr. Jerome Secillano, Executive Secretary of the CBCP Permanent Committee on Public Affairs, told GMA News TV's Balitanghali on Tuesday.

"I think ito ay napakaganda na development dahil mababawasan dito o maalis dito 'yung mga iba't ibang uri ng interpretasyon," he added.

After a 10-day review, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra and Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on Monday announced revisions in the IRR of Republic Act No. 10592 or the GCTA law.

The law now clearly excludes recidivists, habitual delinquents, escapees and those charged with heinous crimes from earning not only GCTAs, but also time allowances for study, teaching and mentoring and loyalty, and credit for preventive imprisonment.

The new IRR also adopts the definition of heinous crimes provided for under Republic Act No. 7659, or the death penalty law, "and refers to Supreme Court declarations on what constitutes heinous crimes."

The development, however, only came after news broke out that prison authorities released more than 1,900 convicts of heinous crimes because their sentences were shortened by GCTAs within the last five years. —NB, GMA News