DoJ ready to defend revised rules on early release for good conduct
JUSTICE SECRETARY Menardo I. Guevarra said the department will welcome legal questions against the implementation of the revised rules on early release of convicts based on good conduct, following the dismissal of petitions before the Supreme Court (SC). “The DoJ (Department of Justice) is ready to meet the legal challenge anytime,” he told reporters in a mobile-phone message. “We believe that the revised IRR (implementing rules and regulations) follows the letter and the spirit of the law. If this is not so, the remedy is not judicial; it is legislative. Congress has to amend the law,” he added. The high court, in a Dec. 3 notice, dismissed the petitions of eight convicts of heinous crimes, and former Calauan mayor Antonio L. Sanchez, against the revision of the IRR of the Good Conduct and Time Allowance Law. It excludes all recidivists, escapees, habitual delinquents, and convicts of heinous crimes from time credits. The SC’s dismissal of the petition for mandamus was due to non-compliance with the 1997 Rules of Civil Procedure. The court said they failed to pay docket and other fees, lack proof of service of petition to the other parties, insufficient petition in form due to insufficient or defective verification, among others. The DoJ and the Department of Interior and Local Government revised the IRR in September following media reports on the supposed release of Mr. Sanchez, who was convicted of rape and murder over the killing of two students of the University of the Philippines Los Baños in 1995. The reports raised public outcry. Mr. Guevarra said he is confident that the petitions will be dismissed “for lack of merit” should these be re-filed. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas
10 mayors face charges for failure to clear roads, sidewalks
TEN MAYORS in different parts of the country are facing administrative charges for failing to comply with the policy to clear roads and sidewalks of obstructions, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) announced on Sunday. DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año said cases for gross neglect of duty and grave misconduct were filed before the Office of the Ombudsman against the mayors of the following towns: Baco in Oriental Mindoro; Pili, Camarines Sur; Ginatilan, Cebu; Pagsanghan, Samar; Aurora and Lapuyan in Zamboanga Del Sur; Sagay and Guinsiliban in Camiguin; Manticao, Misamis Oriental; and Caraga in Davao Oriental. These towns registered the lowest validation scores during the evaluation and monitoring. Mr. Año said the complaints were filed after the mayors failed to satisfactorily answer the show cause orders issued by the DILG. “This is just the first batch of cases to be filed and we will file the succeeding batches as soon as our lawyers have finished reviewing the validation reports and the corresponding answers by the mayors,” Mr. Año said in a statement. “These first batch of mayors failed to perform their duty to clear their roads of obstructions, they did not develop or implement any displacement program or plan, they do not have any long-term rehabilitation and sustainability plan in place, and they failed to set up a feedback or grievance mechanism for their constituents,” he added. — Emmanuel Tupas, PHILSTAR
