NEWSFLASH

---

ROBIN PADILLA OUT OF PRISON IN THREE MONTHS

Muntinglupa, Oct. 25, 1997 - Controversial actor Robin Padilla, now serving time for illegal possession o firearms, could be freed in January 1998, according to prison officials.

National Bilibid Prisons Director Vicente Vinarao said the Philippine movie world's "Bad Boy" "most probably would be released in January either on parole or conditional pardon."

Vinarao made the statement at the ceremony for the release of 109 prisoners released under the new law minimising the penalty for the crime of illegal possession of firearms. The new legislation is referred to popularly as the Robin Padilla Law and the Revilla Law.

Senator Ramon Revilla, himself an action star, witnessed the release of the prisoners in Muntinglupa.

The released prisoners thanked the senator and Robin Padilla for their efforts to repeal an old Martial Law-era decree. Robin celebrated with them, although his own name was not among the list of the first batch liberated.

"I am confident I will gain liberty soon. Life is like that, we can't all be out at the same time. My time will come," expressed the actor.

Revilla and Vinarao were one in pointing out that the release of the first batch of 109, minus Robin, merely shows that the new law, Republic Act 8294, is for everyone. It reduced to six years from 17 years the minimum sentence for illegal possession of short firearms, and to 8 from 21 years for long firearms.

---