BuCor chief Catapang says Lee, Cornejo must apply for parole before release

Make this your preferred source to get more updates from this publisher on Google.

Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Gregorio Catapang said Wednesday that Cedric Lee and Deniece Cornejo still need to apply for parole before they can be released.

Catapang said this days after BuCor announced that the Court of Appeals (CA) modified Lee and Cornejo's offense from serious illegal detention, for which they were sentenced to reclusion perpetua; to grave coercion, with a sentence of six months to three years, six months, and 21 days.

The CA has already ordered Lee and Cornejo’s release after modifying their sentences, but Catapang said that the pair still had to serve time for another grave coercion case.

Speaking on the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public forum, Catapang said that Cornejo and Lee could not serve their two sentences simultaneously.

“Sa unang kasi na na-file, three months to six months na lang yung kanilang minimum na ise-serve. Pero sa isang kaso naman, na hindi pa na-areglo o wala pa ring Entry of Judgment na natatanggap kami ay… maximum sentence to be served ay three years and six months,” Catapang said.

(In the first one filed, the minimum time to be served was three to six months. But in another case, they have not reached an arrangement, and there is no Entry of Judgment received… There is a maximum sentence to be served of three years and six months.)

Catapang estimated that this could reach up to four years, but said that they will recompute it. Both Lee and Cornejo have been imprisoned since 2024.

“Kasi ito po, hindi po release agad. Minimum serve, they will have to ask for a parole. Yung papeles naman nila ifo-forward namin na they are qualified having served the minimum sentence for parole,” Catapang said.

(Because this is not an immediate release. There is a minimum serve; they will have to ask for parole. The papers will then be forwarded by us that they are qualified, having served the minimum sentence for parole)

Catapang said that the BuCor would forward the appropriate papers to the Board of Pardon

The BuCor chief maintained that there was a process to be followed.

A Taguig court had convicted Lee, Cornejo, and other co-accused for illegally detaining actor-host Vhong Navarro in 2024. –NB, GMA News