FIFTEENTH CONGRESS )
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES >)
FIRST REGULAR SESSION yi

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Introduced by Honorable Rufus B. Rodriguez and
Honorable Maximo B. Rodriguez, Jr.

House Bill No. 587

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This bill was originally introduced as House Bill Nos. 1942 and
1943 by the undersigned Rufus B. Rodriguez during the Fourteenth
Congress. It was approved by the Committee on Public Order and
Safety as substitute House Bill No. 4925 under Committee Report No.
1092, dated August 7, 2008.

This bill advances a dynamic implementation of the good
conduct allowance under Article 97, Chapter II of the Revised Penal
Code. It unequivocally recognizes as “good conduct” the demonstrated
courage, willingness and the ability of a prisoner to increase his
knowledge, develop his skills and strengthen his moral values while
under detention.

The potential benefits from this bill are as follows:

1. Increasing literacy and skills standards and strengthening
moral values of prisoners will facilitate their reintegration
into mainstream society as reformed and productive citizens.

2. The grant to prisoners of good conduct time allowance for
participating in literacy, skills and values development
programs will result in the reduction of their incarceration
period. This translates to a decrease in the over-all cost of
correction thru jail decongestion.

3. With increasing literacy among prisoners, a jail management
system responsive to current needs and problems can be
implemented to forestall, jailbreaks, riots and other
destabilizing activities.

4. The duty of the State to provide elementary and high school
education to its citizens, for free, is fulfilled.


It is a fact that many prisoners are unschooled or are illiterates
which may be contributory to their transgression of the law. Ignorance
costs more than education according to an imminent educator and no
better proof of this could be found than in jails where tangible returns
on time and monetary investments are wanting.

As an incentive to parallel the rigors and the bliss of increasing
knowledge, developing skills and strengthening moral values while
under detention, the grant of good conduct time allowance for
prisoners who participate in the literacy, skills and moral development

programs is made mandatory. A prisoner's “good conduct” deserves
recompense under the law.

Life is still worth the living and must go on even if, for prisoners,
it is lived temporarily behind bars. Living in ignorance is perpetually
living in prison, sans the bars, hence, the premium on educational
and character-building endeavors.

If only for the moral and economic considerations it advocates,
this bill deserves our unanimous support and immediate approval.

RUFUS B. ROD! ‘UEZ

a7)

MAXIMO B. RODRIGUEZ, JR.


FIFTEENTH CONGRESS )
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )
FIRST REGULAR SESSION )

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Introduced by Honorable Rufus B. Rodriguez and
Honorable Maximo B. Rodriguez, Jr.

587

House Bill No..

AN ACT
GRANTING GOOD CONDUCT TIME ALLOWANCE TO
PRISONERS WHO PARTICIPATE IN LITERACY, SKILLS
AND VALUES DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS IN PENAL
INSTITUTIONS AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE ARTICLE
97 OF ACT NO, 3815, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE
REVISED PENAL CODE

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representative in
Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Declaration of Policy. ~ It is the policy of the State
to promote the correction and rehabilitation of prisoners by providing
opportunities for increasing their literacy and skills and strengthening
their moral values thereby facilitating their reintegration into the

mainstream of society as reformed and productive citizens.

SEC.2. Coverage. - This Act shall cover detention prisoners in
detention facilities of law enforcement agencies and those prisoners
serving sentence by virtue of final judgment in the Bureau of

Corrections and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BUMP).

SEC.3. Good Conduct Time Allowance. - Any prisoner who has
earned or is making satisfactory progress towards earning a post-

graduate or college degree, high school or elementary grade diploma,


vocational/technical skill or values development certificate or those
who are being utilized to teach subjects or courses in the aforecited
programs shall be granted time credit towards the service of his/her
sentence: Provided, That the time credit shall not exceed fifteen (15)
days for every month of study time.

SEC.4. Effect of Appeal. - An appeal by an accused shall not
deprive him/her of entitlement to the good conduct time credit
provided under this Act.

SEC.S. Program Implementation. - The academic, vocational
skills and values development programs for prisoners shall be
implemented in coordination with the Department of Education,
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and other
recognized institutions and organizations.

SEC.6. Authority to Grant Good Conduct. - The Director of the
Bureau of Corrections, the Chief of the BUMP, wardens of provincial
and sub-provincial jails and Director of the National Bureau of
Investigation shall have the authority to assess, evaluate and grant
good conduct time allowances to prisoners, subject to the approval of
the Secretary of Justice, Secretary of the Department of the Interior

and Local Government (DILG) or the Provincial Governor, as the case
may be.

SEC.7. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The Secretary of
Justice and the Secretary of the DILG shall, within sixty (60) days
from the approval of this Act, promulgate the rules and regulations
necessary for its effective implementation.

SEC.8. Separability Clause. - In case any provision hereof is
declared unconstitutional, the other provisions not so declared and
affected shall remain in force and effect.


SEC.9. Repealing Clause. — All laws, rules and regulations, or
parts thereof, which are contrary to or are inconsistent with this Act
are hereby repealed or amended accordingly.

SEC.10. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days
after its publication in at least two (2) newspapers of national

circulation.

Approved,