THE Bureau of Corrections (BoC) on Monday said it would first seek clearances from the Regional Trial Court in Taguig and the Court of Appeals before facilitating the release of Cedric Lee, Deniece Cornejo and two others from prison.
Corrections Director General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr. made the statement following reports that the CA has issued a decision ordering Lee, Cornejo, Simeon Palma Raz Jr. and Ferdinand Guerrero from prison two years after they were sentenced to reclusion perpetua or 40 years imprisonment in the serious illegal detention case filed by actor and television host Vhong Navarro.
A copy of the decision which modified the sentences handed down against the four convicts has yet to be made public by the CA.
Catapang said the BuCor is preparing a formal correspondence to the CA seeking clarification of its order reportedly issued on September 25.
He said the BuCor will specifically request a copy of the Entry of Judgment from the CA.
The BuCor is also preparing a request for the issuance of a Certificate of No Pending Case from the Office of the Clerk of Court of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Taguig City.
The document will form part of the records and documentation required to determine the four’s release status.
Catapang emphasized that BuCor’s actions are part of its 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,’ Catapang sressed.
Based on the records provided by the Person Deprived of Liberty Documents and Processing Division (PDPD), Catapang said Lee, was received into BuCor custody on May 3, 2024, by virtue of a commitment order issued by Branch 153 of the Regional Trial Court in Taguig City.
He was initially sentenced to reclusion perpetua for serious illegal detention under Criminal Case 153705.
Cornejo was received into BuCor custody on May 2, 2024, pursuant to the corresponding commitment documents.
The case was later affirmed and modified by the Court of Appeals, Manila, Special Seventeenth Division, under CA-G.R. CR HC 20030.
In its September 25 decision, the appellate court modified the offense to grave coercion and imposed a sentence of six months as minimum to three years, six months, and 21 days as maximum.
However, Catapang noted that based on its records the subject PDLs are also serving sentences of six months as minimum to three years as maximum for grave coercion.
The sentence was issued by the Branch 266 in Taguig City and affirmed by the CA Ninth Division.
‘No Entry of Judgement has been issued, therefore it is being requested before the Judicial Records Division of the said court,’ Catapang noted.
Catapang added that based on records, the sentences imposed in the two cases are supposed to be served successively.
Thus, the combined sentence is computed at four years and 21 days as minimum to seven years and 21 days as maximum.
‘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,’ Catapang pointed out.
As of September 26, 2026, Lee has accumulated 460 days of Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA).
His credited time served with BuCor, including the applicable allowance, is three years, 10 months, and 29 days.
His actual time served is two years, seven months, and 24 days.
Based on the current computation, Lee’s presumptive date for serving his minimum sentence is February 18, 2027, while his presumptive date for serving his maximum sentence is February 18, 2030.
Cornejo, meanwhile, has accumulated 440 days of GCTA and 75 days of Time Allowance for Study, Teaching, and Mentoring (TASTM).
Her credited time served with BuCor is three years, nine months, and 24 days as of September 26, 2026.
Her actual time served is two years, four months, and 24 days.
Her presumptive date for serving the minimum sentence is December 23, 2026, while the presumptive date for serving the maximum sentence is December 23, 2029.
TASTM is a privilege granted under Republic Act No. 10592, which provides for the reduction of a PDL’s prison sentence in recognition of participation in study, teaching, or mentoring activities, subject to applicable requirements and verification.
In its 2024 ruling, the RTC in Taguig held that Cornejo lured Navarro to her condominium unit on January 22, 2014 so that her co-accused would be able to restrain him and extort money from him.
It also pointed out that Cornejo’s allegations of rape and acts of lasciviousness has been proved wrong after the Supreme Court (SC) issued a ruling in 2023 which set aside the 2022 Court of Appeals’ decision directing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to prosecute Navarro for rape.