MORE convicts illegally released by authorities had surrendered to police after the Sept. 19 deadline set by President Rodrigo R. Duterte, the Justice department said yesterday.
Justice Undersecretary Markk L. Perete said a total of 2,221 convicts have surrendered, he said in a mobile-phone message.
Mr. Perete said 1,985 convicts were already at the Bureau of Corrections, while 236 were in the custody of police..
Mr. Duterte earlier said convicts who fail to surrender will be hunted down dead or alive.
Mr. Perete has said authorities were cleaning up the list of prisoners who were released even if they were ineligible because they committed heinous crimes. Some of those on the list had actually been pardoned, given executive clemency or paroled. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas