MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte offered to give P1 million to anyone who could capture dead or alive heinous crime convicts freed under the Good Conduct Time Allowance law, two days before his ultimatum for the felons to surrender lapses.
"Basta ako sinabi ko, I will just set the timeline and then the P1 million prize is available to those who can capture them dead or alive but maybe dead would be a better option," Duterte told reporters on Tuesday.
"I will pay you smiling. Ibalik ko yang preso magkakain pa yang putanginang yan. Gagastos pa ako."
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Last September 4, the president warned that those who failed to turn themselves in so their GCTA could be recomputed would be treated as fugitives.
In the same speech, Duterte said he ordered Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III to prepare the funds he needs for the bounty.
"Kaya kayo mag-surrender kayo. P***** i**, bantay kayo. I can… Nag-compute ako, sabi ko kay Dominguez kung may pera siya. Sabi ko I would need about sabi ko 1 billion 700 thou — million — 1 billion 700 million. Sabi ko na, 'maghanap ka ng pera.' 'Pag hindi 1 million per head kayo dead or alive."
As of Monday, at least 600 convicts have surrendered, according to the Department of Justice. But this number is still less than half of the 1,914 heinous crime convicts who were set free after being granted GCTA for good behavior.
READ: DOJ: 612 freed convicts of heinous crimes back in BuCor custody
A Senate probe into the corruption inside the Bureau of Corrections and a review of the Implementing Rules and Regulation of Republic Act 10592 or the GCTA law were conducted after outrage on the early release of murderer-rapist Antonio Sanchez.
Questions on whether a person found guilty of committing a heinous crime should be allowed to go free was one of the issues discussed at the Senate hearing on the GCTA controversy.
On Monday, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra announced that the newly drafted guidelines of RA 10592 now states that inmates who are recidivists, habitual delinquents, escapists and those charged with heinous crimes are ineligible from getting GCTA grants.
READ: GCTA law's revised implementing rules exclude heinous crimes convicts as beneficiaries