PBA partylist Rep. Jericho Nograles on Tuesday revealed that those government officials who allowed the release of the individuals convicted of heinous crimes on the basis of good conduct could face criminal and administrative charges.

During the briefing of the Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) on the implementation of Republic Act 10592 or the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA), Nograles stressed that both agencies see the convenience of pointing out that the law is flawed, as there is a provision in that law which states that any violation or abuse of RA 10592 is subject to one year imprisonment and P100 thousand fine.

“I clearly understand why it is convenient on the side of the DOJ (Department of Justice) and BuCor to point out that the law is flawed,” Nograles said. “They are afraid of Section 6 of RA 10592 which provides that any violation or abuse of RA 10592 is subect to one year imprisonment and P100 thousand fine.”

Nograles explained that Section 6 of the measure states that “faithful compliance with the provisions of the Act is hereby mandated. As such, the penalty of one year imprisonment, a fine of one hundred thousand pesos and perpetual disqualification to hold office shall be imposed against any public officer or employee who violates the provisions of the Act.”

The lawmaker stressed that the officials of BuCor violated Section 1 of the law which stated that persons charged with heinous crimes are excluded from the coverage of RA 10592, adding that with the release of 2,160 heinous crime convicts since 2013, responsible officials should pay P216 million, or P100 thousand for every inmate released and shall suffer “2,160 years in jail.”

Nograles also asked the Director of BuCor to furnish the House committee on justice a copy of the names of every single member of the Management Screening and Evaluation Committee under BuCor who recommended and processed the “erroneous” recommendations that freed inmates.