The government released Thursday convicted child rapist Romeo Jalosjos, a former congressman from Zamboanga del Norte, after serving only 13 years of his double life sentence in the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City . Bureau of Corrections Director Oscar Calderon said he signed the certificate of discharge ordering the release of Jalosjos at 9 A.M. Wednesday. Jalosjos was given two life terms by the Makati City Regional Court in 1997 for two counts of statutory rape and six counts of acts of lasciviousness after he was found guilty in a rape case filed in behalf of an 11-year-old girl in 1996. The punishment became final when the Supreme Court upheld it in 2002. In April 2007, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo approved the recommendation of the Department of Justice to reduce the prison sentence to 16 years, three months and three days. Four more years were deducted from the 16 years for “good behavior..” Calderon said Jalosjos was surprised with the release and only his wife came to fetch him and took him to Cebu city. Corrections executive assistant Senior Supt. Bartolome Bustamante said Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez approved the release, saying Jalosjos already served more than 16 years of his sentence. Even before his release, Jalosjos had been granted a “live-out” or “colonist” status by the Bureau of Corrections, with the approval of Gonzalez, and allowed to roam the prison compound without escorts. Calderon said Jalosjos was not given a special treatment as inmates who contribute to the rehabilitation of the prison and fellow inmates are normally given colonist status.
