The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) held a Thanksgiving Mass on September 17, 2024, at the Ina ng Awa Parish within the New Bilibid Prison Reservation to mark the Supreme Court’s final ruling on the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) for heinous crime convicts.
The mass was attended by BuCor Key Officials and personnel, led by DIRECTOR GENERAL GREGORIO PIO P CATAPANG JR., AFP (Ret.), CESE, CCLH. The gathering celebrated the Supreme Court’s decision, which reaffirmed the eligibility of heinous crime convicts for the GCTA program, a significant development in the Bureau’s ongoing efforts to decongest the country’s prison facilities.
In its ruling with finality, the Supreme Court maintained that convicts of heinous crimes who exhibit good behavior while serving their sentences are entitled to earn GCTA. The GCTA is a privilege granted to Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) who exhibit good conduct while serving their sentence. It allows them to earn a reduction in their prison term.
With the Supreme Court’s final decision, BuCor looks forward to further implementing the GCTA program as part of its commitment to creating a more rehabilitative and humane correctional system in the Philippines.
