Convicts who surrendered are briefed by Cagayan PNP Provincial Director Ignacio Cumigad Jr. prior to being transported to BuCor for documentation.

A total of 31 convicts from Cagayan and Pangasinan who were released under the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) Law have given themselves up in response to Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s call to turn themselves in.

Philippine National Police (PNP) Cagayan regional director Brig. Gen. Jose Mario Espino, bared that the 29 who surrendered is half of the 58 convicts freed on account of the GCTA in the entire region.

Of this 29, 17 came from Tuguegarao, six from Isabela, four from Nueva Vizcaya while two came from Quirino.

Espino also said that they are exerting all efforts “to visit one by one those who are included in the BuCor’s list to encourage them to surrender immediately.”

Many of those who surrendered, according to Espino, were sentenced with murder, rape, homicide, murder with robbery, robbery with rape and attempted rape with homicide.

He noted though that two other individuals who voluntarily surrendered were not included in the BuCor’s list.

Meanwhile in Pangasinan, Police Lt. Col. Marceliano Desamito Jr., officer-in-charge of Bayambang Police Station, said the two convicts who surrendered both served 30 years in prison for charges of robbery with rape and homicide.

“We are now waiting for the directives from our higher headquarters or possibly we will assist them as they go back to the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) as they too wanted to report to BuCor so they would know their disposition,” he said.

Desamito revealed that one of the convicts “underwent an operation, and today (Sept.10) that person needs to go to the hospital to remove the surgical bandage, so we need to take him/her to the hospital.”  (Jojo Mangahis)