Negros cops urge 55 GCTA convicts to surrender

By: Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City –The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (Nocppo) urged the remaining 55 convicts released through the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) Law to surrender to the authorities by Sept 19, 2019.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Adrian Acollador, Nocppo’s deputy provincial director for administration, said in a press conference at the Nocppo headquarters here yesterday that convicts who failed to surrender on or before the deadline will be subjected to house visitation.

“We will look for them and personally ask them to surrender,” Acollador added.

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier ordered that GCTA convicts should return to jail by Sept 19.

Out of 62 GCTA convicts in the province, only seven have surrendered to the authorities since Sept 9.

They were from the cities of Cadiz, Himamaylan, La Carlota, and Silay, and municipalities of Hinoba-an, Calatrava, and La Castellana.

Acollador said police will know the whereabouts of the convicts if they will be visited in their localities.

“We will also need the help of the barangay officials to determine if they have returned to their residences or if they transferred to other places,” he added.

“Mas maayo if mag surrender na sila. We’re just following orders and they also need to cooperate,” he said.

He said that those who have surrendered will wait for the order to transfer them to the Bureau of Corrections.

Meanwhile, the 21 GCTA convicts identified in Bacolod have yet to surrender to the police as of press time.

(Photo Courtesy of ABS-CBN News)