,. 
i" 
FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
SENATE 
S. No. 
2423 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
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 thrujail 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 
1 


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. 
This bill was originally filed Hy Sen. Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr. during the Thirteenth 
Congress. 
2 


, . 
~f;"ltqT 
eFf'1CE 01' TM!. StCliETAIlV 
FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
1 
AN ACT 
2 
GRANTING MANDATORY GOOD CONDUCT ALLOWANCE TO PRISONERS 
3 
WHO PARTICIPATE IN LITERACY, SKILLS AND VALUES DEVELOPMENT 
4 
PROGRAMS IN PENAL INSTITUTIONS 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
5 
SECTION 1. Any prisoner who has earned or is making satisfactory progress towards 
6 
earning a post-graduate or a college degree or a certificate of completion of a vocational or skills 
7 
or values development course or a high school diploma or an elementary grades certificate shall 
8 
be granted time credit towards the service of his sentence. The credit shall not exceed fifteen 
9 
days for every month of study time. 
10 
Prisoners who may be ntilized to teach courses or subj ects or to engage in skills or values 
11 
development shall also receive such time credit at the rate of fifteen days maximum for every 
12 
month of mentoring service rendered to fellow prisoners. 
13 
SECTION 2. Good conduct allowances earned through the literacy, skills and values 
14 
development programs for prisoners shall be computed at the end of each calendar year, unless 
15 
earlier required. 
16 
SECTION 3. The literacy, skills and values development programs for prisoners shall be 
17 
implemented in coordination with the Department of Education. 
18 
SECTION 4. Within sixty days from the approval of this Act, the Secretary of Justice 
19 
shall promulgate a classification system for the good conduct time allowance under such rules 
20 
and regulations as may be necessary to implement this Act. 
21 
SECTION 5. - If any provision or part hereof, is held invalid or unconstitutional, the 
22 
remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall remain valid and subsisting. 
1 


1 
SECTION 6. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive order, letter of 
2 
instmction, administrative order, mle or regulation contrary to or is inconsistent with the 
3 
provision of this Act is hereby repealed, modified, or amended accordingly. 
4 
SECTION 7.- This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in at least 
5 
two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
6 
Approved, 
2