BuCor coordinates with CA for Cedric Lee, Deniece Cornejo release

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The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) said on Monday that it will coordinate with the Court of Appeals (CA) regarding the release of Cedric Lee and Deniece Cornejo.

According to BuCor Director General Gregorio Catapang, they will request a copy of the Entry of Judgment after the Court of Appeals directed Lee and Cornejo’s release.

“The Bureau is reviewing the records and sentence computations to ensure that any release is carried out in accordance with the appellate court’s order and applicable rules on sentence administration,” it said in a statement.

BuCor said that Lee was initially sentenced to reclusion perpetua for serious illegal detention and was placed under BuCor custody in March 2024.

The appellate court modified the offense to grave coercion and imposed a sentence of six months to three years, six months, and 21 days.

Lee and Cornejo are also serving another case for grave coercion. The CA affirmed and modified their sentence but has yet to issue an Entry of Judgement.

BuCor said that as of September 26, Lee has accumulated 460 days of Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA).

So far, he has served three years and seven months with BuCor, including the applicable allowance, while his actual served time is two years and seven months. Due to this, his presumptive date for serving his minimum sentence is February 18, 2027 while it is February 18, 2030 for the maximum sentence.

Cornejo, meanwhile, has accumulated 440 days of GCTA and 75 days of Time Allowance for Study, Teaching, and Mentoring (TASTM).

As of the same period, BuCor said that the credited time served is three years and nine months while her actual served time is two years and four months.

BuCor said the presumptive date for serving her minimum sentence is December 23, 2026 while the presumptive date for serving the maximum is December 23, 2029.

Catapang said this is part of BuCor’s standard records-validation and release procedures.

“The Bureau must obtain and verify the necessary court documents, including the Entry of Judgment and Certificate of No Pending Case, before finalizing the release process,” BuCor said.—LDF, GMA News