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Manhunt vs. GCTA-freed convicts begins Sept. 20
“The period to surrender will lapse 11:59 tonight (Thursday). After that, the rearrest becomes effective,” Justice Department spokesperson, Undersecretary Markk Perete told newsmen.
(File Photo by Benjamin Pulta/PNA)
MANILA — The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday said the manhunt against convicts freed through the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) who refused to surrender will commence, as the 15-day deadline given by President Rodrigo Duterte lapses before midnight.
“The period to surrender will lapse 11:59 tonight (Thursday). After that, the rearrest becomes effective,” Justice Department spokesperson, Undersecretary Markk Perete told newsmen.
“Before the day ends, DOJ will transmit to DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government) a cleaned-up list of PDLs prematurely released because of the erroneous application of the Expanded GCTA law. The list will include pertinent data to ensure that only those who ought to be returned to prison will be rearrested.
It should minimize incidents of mistaken identity and save government resources related to its manhunt operations,” he added.
As of 2 p.m. Wednesday, 1,025 out of 1,914 inmates on the list have so far turned themselves in, Perete said.
The DOJ said the updated list for the recovery of PDLs (persons deprived of liberty) who failed to surrender will “contain a number of details of those PDLs prematurely released via GCTA, their offense, their last known address and also their picture”.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra earlier said law enforcers may employ “reasonable force if the subject of the arrest violently resists and endangers the security of the arresting officers”.
