Department of Justice Assistant Secretary Neal Vincent Bainto said that of the 2,352 who surrendered, only 827 have so far been released. Bainto said they are still in the process of checking if those who surrendered were not qualified to be released under the GCTA law. It has been nearly four months since President Rodrigo Duterte gave heinous crime convicts freed under the GCTA law 15 days to surrender to the nearest police station or military camp. Bainto said that the 827 surrenderers who have already been released were released in batches. Have yet to surrenderDOJ Spokesman and Undersecretary Markk Perete, meanwhile, said that “there might be calls for the return” of more freed prisoners once the review process is completed.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer December 25, 2019 06:00 UTC