BuCor Seeks Supreme Court’s Clarification on Good Conduct Time Allowance Guidelines

Manila, Philippines – The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) has requested the Supreme Court (SC) to provide clear guidelines on the implementation of the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) as stipulated under Republic Act (RA) 10592. BuCor Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang submitted a position paper to the high court, highlighting the confusion surrounding the application of GCTA. Catapang referenced conflicting court decisionssuch as the “Gil Miguel v. the Director, Bureau of Prisons” case, which disqualified persons deprived of liberty (PDL) convicted of heinous crimes from GCTA benefits, and the “Maclang v. Hon. Leila de Lima” case, which ruled in favor of granting GCTA benefits to a PDL convicted of kidnapping for ransom.

According to Philippines News Agency, the BuCor is currently handling 136 cases of PDLs who have exceeded the maximum 40-year imprisonment term. The bureau’s decision-making is hindered by the ambiguity resulting from the Miguel case and the 2019 amended Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the GCTA law. The BuCor has called on the SC to clarify the duration of penalties, whether it should be computed at 30 or 40 years, and to provide explicit guidelines on the computation of GCTA, Special Time Allowance for Loyalty, Time Allowance for Teaching and Mentoring, and Credit for Preventive Imprisonment.

Catapang expressed hope that these issues would be addressed during the upcoming Tripartite Justice Sector Coordinating Council national summit, where prison congestion will be a key topic. The GCTA Law, enacted in 2013, had its IRR declared invalid by the SC in 2014 due to its prospective application. However, an amended IRR was introduced in 2019, expanding upon the original regulations, particularly regarding GCTA during the service of a sentence. The 2019 IRR specified that recidivists, habitual delinquents, escapees, and PDLs charged or convicted of heinous crimes are not eligible for GCTA.