The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of the Interior and Local

Government (DILG) have revised the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of

the Good Conduct Time Allowance law (GCTA law), responding to public outcry

over the near-release of high-profile convict Antonio Sanchez.

The new IRR of Republic Act 10592 or the GCTA law now categorically excludes

heinous crime convicts like Sanchez from the benefits of the GCTA Law.

Here are the salient amendments in the new IRR:

1. Recidivists, habitual delinquents, escapees, those charged with heinous crimes and

an accused who, upon being summoned for the execution of his sentence has failed to

surrender voluntarily before a court of law, are excluded from good conduct time

allowance under RA 10592 (Section 2, Rule IV)

2. Prisoners disqualified under RA 10592, such as heinous crime convicts, but who

were convicted before the law became effective in 2013 shall be entitled to good

conduct time allowance under the Revised Penal Code (2nd paragraph, Section 1,

Rule XIII)

3. Prisoners disqualified under RA 10592, such as heinous crime convicts, and who

were convicted after the law became effective in 2013, shall not be entitled to any

type of good conduct time allowance (3rd paragraph, Section 1, Rule XIII)

4. Heinous crimes are the same heinous crimes defined under Republic Act 7659 or

the now-repealed death penalty law. It is the DOJ's view that RA 7659 was repealed

only