MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Monday bared that then-Bureau of Corrections chief Ronald 鈥淏ato鈥� Dela Rosa had requested that the authority to release persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) be delegated to the Bucor head.
鈥淭here was this letter coming from the Bureau of Corrections sometime in 2018 requesting that the authority to release PDLs on account of expired sentences be delegated to the BuCor chief,鈥� Guevarra told the Senate committee on justice hearing on the controversy surrounding the early release of heinous crime convicts because of good conduct.
When Senator Richard Gordon, chairman of the committee, asked who signed the letter,聽 Guevarra said he had no copy of the said letter.
But the DOJ chief surmised that the letter was signed by a聽 鈥渉igher authority鈥� from the聽 BuCor.
When Gordon pressed, however,聽 Guevarra said that the request came from now-Senator Dela Rosa.
鈥淎ccording to the draft memorandum聽 addressed to me鈥攖his was only a draft鈥� but it made mention of a memorandum聽 dated June 4, 2018, from Usec Dela Rosa, director-general of BuCor, requesting聽 for聽 the聽 grant of authority for the director-general聽 to approve or act on the following requests enumerated in Department of Order 953,鈥� said Guevarra.
鈥淪o nakalista but the first and foremost is the release of PDLs with expired sentences. No action was taken by the DOJ,鈥澛燝uevarra added.
Under the Department Order he earlier mentioned,聽 an inmate sentenced to reclusion perpetua could not be released without prior approval of the Justice Secretary.
Dela Rosa explained why he made the request to DOJ.
鈥淏ecause we are the ones being charged criminally by the PDLs for failure to release them on time and not the DOJ,鈥� he said when sought for comment.
Dismissed BuCor chief Nicanor聽 Faeldon admitted that he did not seek the Justice Secretary鈥檚 approval when he recently signed a memorandum for the release of heinous crime convicts, including former Calauan, Laguna Mayor Antonio Sanchez.
READ: Faeldon admits not seeking DOJ nod on prisoners鈥� release
Sanchez was convicted for the rape and murder of University of the Philippines-Los Ba帽os student Eileen Sarmenta, and the killing of her friend and schoolmate, Allan Gomez. /gsg