Good Morning, Today we are going to talk about the

controversial issue, GCTA. This House Believes That

The Good Conduct Time Allowance also known as
the GCTA should be terminated.
Recently, The Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA)
law has been at the center of controversy because
according to this law Qualified convicts imprisoned
in the early 1990s can be released 19 years ahead of
their prison terms under the now retroactive law on
Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA). For an
individual who has been in jail for 25 years and who
had shown good behavior in prison, at least 19 years
will be slashed off his jail term as provided under the
law.
1. For the first two years of imprisonment: For
each month of good behavior, 20 days will be
deducted from the total sentence. If a convict
behaved every month, 480 days or roughly 1
year and 3 months will be deducted from his
prison term.
2. From the 3rd to the 5th year: For each month of
good behavior, 23 days will be deducted, or a
 total maximum deduction of 828 days or roughly
2 years and 3 months from the prison term.
3. From the 6th year to the 10th year: 25 days for
each month of good behavior or a total
deduction of roughly 1,800 days or roughly 4
years and 1 month from the prison term.

4. For the 11th and successive years: A month of

good behavior equals a 30-day deduction. This
means that a person serving 25 years who was
behaved every month from his 11th to 25th year
would get a prison term reduction of 14 years
and 7 months.
5. In addition, an inmate shall get 15 days
additional reduction for each month of study,
teaching, or mentoring service.
The SC ruling that made Republic Act No. 10592 or
the GCTA <good conduct time allowance> law
retroactive or applicable to convicts sentenced prior
to its 2013 enactment, will lead to the mass release
of around 11,000 National Bilibid Prison inmates,
according to Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director
Nicanor Faeldon. One of the potential beneficiaries
is former mayor Antonio Sanchezof Calauan, Laguna,
who was sentenced to 9 terms of reclusion perpetua
for the rape and double murder of college Eileen
Sarmenta and Allan Gomez; as well as the double
murder of father and son Nelson and Rickson
Peñalosa.

I am open to the possibility of people changing, but

that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be held liable
for the crimes they’ve committed. They are in jail for
a reason and that reason is to serve justice. GCTA or
the good conduct time allowance can easily be
manipulated by criminals. How hard is it to behave
inside the cell when they know that they can do bad
things again outside since they’re aware that by
acting in order, their sentence will be shortened.

A living proof is Antonio Sanchez who committed

heinous crimes, is a potential beneficiary of this law.
Antonio Sanchez in 1993 was convicted for the rape
of University of the Philippines Los Banos college
student Eileen Sarmenta when he was mayor of
Calauan, Laguna. He was also convicted for the
double murder of Sarmenta and her boyfriend Allan
Gomez. Sanchez is eligible for early release because
of the good conduct time allowance, a thousand
other convicts who exhibited good behavior are also
up for release. The mother of Sarmenta demands
the government to show proof Sanchez really did
behave in prison because in 2006, when a surprise
inspection happened, shabu and marijuana was
found inside his jail cell but that case was dismissed
5 years later. If this law wouldn’t be terminated, how
would the Sarmenta and Gomez family feel knowing
that the man who killed their child with no mercy
will be a free man in no time. Not only Antonio
Sanchez but the 11,000 inmates who will be
released is a threat to everyone, as of now we don’t
know what crimes did they commit to be in jail but
we are aware that they are in prison for a reason.
Through GCTA, the punishment for them is basically
removed. Justice is taken away from the victims. A
crime is done, there’s no way to take it back, not
even good behavior inside the prison. They are
where they are for a reason.

Another disadvantage is that GCTA can take away

the fear of committing crimes because they know
that with the GCTA, even though they commit
heinous crimes, if they act accordingly inside the
prison, their sentence will be lessened and they will
be freed in no time.

Another is some inmates takes advantage of this law

and use this to have a lesser sentence even if they
aren’t abiding the conditions under this specific law.
For example the rich and the powerful are the ones
who will really benefit from this law.

Plunder convict Janet Lim Napoles was on the list of

inmates eligible for early release under a
contentious law, documents obtained by the Senate
showed on Wednesday.
The law in question pertains to good conduct time
allowance.
On the list, the charge attached to Napoles was
rape, not plunder.
Sen. Richard Gordon, chair of the blue ribbon
committee, said he was disappointed with the
revelation.
(They are so incompetent. I will grill them tomorrow
(Thursday). Do people really want Napoles freed?
And why is her case listed as rape, not plunder?
There’s something to it.)
Napoles was sentenced to life in prison by the
Sandiganbayan in relation to the priority
development assistance fund (PDAF) scam plunder
cases of Sen. Bong Revilla, and former senators
Jinggoy Estrada and Juan Ponce Enrile.
Majority of the inmates that are listed in the GCTA
are involved in rape cases, including child rapes, who
in the right mind would do such heinous acts? If the
GCTA is to be continued, it’ll be a huge threat to
everyone because there’s no certainty that they
have really reformed, it’s easy to fake actions
especially when the price is as much as the GCTA
offers.