By Hannah Torregoza Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara on Thursday said he would support proposals to restore the death penalty as capital punishment but only for heinous crimes. Sen. Sonny Angara (Facebook / MANILA BULLETIN) Angara made the statement as the Senate investigates the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) law which is now under scrutiny following the early release of 1,914 prisoners due to good conduct. “I think for maybe really very, very heinous crimes. Let’s limit its application. Not like in 1993 where it was applicable to carnapping and to things like that,” Angara said in an interview over ANC. “Crimes against property. 'Yung talagang robbery with homicide. 'Yung mga ganun. Really heinous crimes, I think,” he further said. Angara earlier expressed belief that proposals on the death penalty bills warrant extensive debate. At the same time, the lawmaker said he supports President Rodrigo Duterte’s order for the re-arrest of the 1,914 prisoners convicted of heinous crimes. READ MORE: Duterte: I'm firing Faeldon According to Angara, it was clear that these convicts’ release was made based on “faulty orders.” The senator said there was a general impression among the senators that “there’s an awful lot of discretion on the part of Bureau of Correction (BuCor) officials” when it comes to determining good conduct time allowances for the early release of prisoners. Angara noted that the existence of Department Order 953 requires the approval of the Justice Secretary for the release of inmates sentenced to life imprisonment or reclusion perpetua or high risk inmates recommended for release due to expired sentences. “It appears that the released prisoners did not go through this process so talagang may merit na they should not have been released,” he said. “That’s the argument. Faulty 'yung orders na inisyu nila and the provision of the law cited earlier that these (GCTAs) are irrevocable, probably does not apply because they did not follow the right procedure,” Angara said. In a press conference on Wednesday night, Duterte advised the 1,914 released prisoners to turn themselves in to either the Philippine National Police (PNP) or the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as they are now considered fugitives. The President said the grant of their GCTAs would be investigated and recomputed to determine if these were aboveboard. “So they have to review the cases and see if the entitlement to the GCTA was correct in law,” Angara said. Angara said that if there are questions regarding the order of the President to rearrest the prisoners, it would be best to take this up to the Supreme Court. “But at this point, I think there’s no doubt that even the President makes what you call a contemporaneous interpretation of the law. That is his interpretation of the law. And we have to respect that until it’s questioned and overruled,” Angara said.