They have only tasted two weeks of freedom.
Ladislao Abo is already 62 years old. He had spent 27 years in prison for rape. Armando Galang Jr., meanwhile, is 50 years old and had spent 23 years in prison for murder—almost half of his life.
Galang recalled his happiness when they were released in prison and was reunited with his family.
Both him and Abo were imprisoned at Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Palawan and was released on August 25.
But two weeks after, Galang saw President Rodrigo Duterte on television ordering the surrender of inmates like them.
READ: Duterte orders freed heinous crime convicts to surrender
Abo and Galang are among the almost 2,000 inmates who were released due to the good conduct time allowance (GCTA) law.
“Wala po kaming magagawa kailangang sumunod (There is nothing we can do but to follow orders),” Galang said.
To the dismay of their families, Galang and Abo surrendered to the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF).
All they want for now is to let their families know they arrived safely at the PNP-SAF Headquarters in Camp Bagong Diwa.
Both Galang and Abo insisted that they did not pay anyone to get their freedom.
“Wala pong humingi ng pera sa pamilya ko para po lumaya po ako, wala po kaming pera (No one asked for money from my family so I can be released, we have no money),” Galang said.
“Wala pong hiningi po sa amin. Sila pa nga po ang nagbigay sa amin noong kami ay umalis (They did not ask anything from us. They were the ones who gave us money when we left),” according to Abo.
Abo and Galang are among the 121 heinous crime convicts that already surrendered to authorities as of September 9.
According to SAF Deputy Director PBGen. Manuel Abu, they are prepared to cooperate with the PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) for the rearrest of other convicts who will refuse to surrender after the 15-day deadline is up.
“It is our duty na tumulong kasi ang Commander in Chief natin ang may order (It is our duty to help because the order came from our Commander in Chief),” he said.—AAC (with reports from Lea Ylagan)
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