Former police officer Jimmy Fortaleza, a person deprived of liberty (PDL) who testified before the House of Representatives Quad Committee on the killings of three imprisoned Chinese drug lords in Davao City, has been ordered released by the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court (RTC), the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) said on Friday, Sept. 27.
“In a 14-page decision dated Sept. 23, 2024 by Presiding Judge Gener M. Gito of RTC Branch 206, the court granted Fortaleza’s petition for Habeas Corpus with Prayer for Computation of Special Time Allowance for Loyalty (STAL),” the BuCor said in a statement.
It said the RTC ordered the bureau “to immediately release PDL Fortaleza and also instructed the same to report to the court within five days the date and time Fortaleza was released.”
With the RTC ruling, BuCor Director General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr. said “the Bucor needs to inform the Quad Committee of the court's decision since PDL Fortaleza has been in the custody of the House of Representatives as a witness.”
It said that Fortaleza corroborated the testimonies of two other PDLs on the execution of three Chinese drug lords inside the Davao Penal Colony in 2016, which is the subject of the on-going investigation conducted by the Quad-Comm.
“Fortaleza was serving three sentences of reclusion perpetua for three counts of murder, a minimum of four months to a maximum of one year and eight months each for two counts of arbitrary detention, and minimum of two years and four months to a maximum of four years and nine months for arbitrary detention,” BuCor said.
It also said that "in granting the petition, the court said that applying the two STALs, Fortaleza is entitled to a 4/5 reduction of his sentence of 32 years. After the deduction, he is to serve eight years of imprisonment,"
“The court said, based on computation of his records, Fortaleza had been detained since June 8, 2008, and has served 10,748 days of imprisonment or a total of 29 years, 5 months and 13 days. Thus, he has fully served the sentence imposed against him,” it added.