Faeldon: I signed release memo
Credit to Author: BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO| Date: Mon, 02 Sep 2019 16:18:55 +0000
BUREAU of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Nicanor Faeldon on Monday admitted having signed a “memorandum” to start the process for the release under the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) Law of convicted rapist-killer former Calauan mayor Antonio Sanchez.
Faeldon was grilled by senators as the Senate started its inquiry into the GCTA controversy amid allegations that he violated Republic Act 10592 in allowing Sanchez to benefit from the GCTA Law.
Sanchez was sentenced in 1999 to seven life terms for the rape-slay of University of the Philippines Los Baños student Eileen Sarmienta and the murder of her friend Allan Gomez in 1993.
During the public hearing, Sen. Panfilo Lacson presented a document dated August 20, which showed Faeldon’s signature ordering Sanchez’s release under the GCTA.
“Is this your signature?” Lacson asked Faeldon, to which the latter answered in the affirmative. But he said, “I signed a memorandum for release. Only the superintendent can issue the release order.”
“I signed a memorandum of release, starting the process of the release of any PDL (person deprived of liberty),” Faeldon added.
Lacson said, “So, you’re maintaining that this is not a release order?” Faeldon replied, “Yes, sir, because that release order, sir, was recalled by me.”
“We stopped the process of the release. I signed that memorandum of release, but that is not the release order because after my office it goes to several other office[s] and finally it will go to the superintendent, who issues the final issues the final release order of the PDL,” he added.
“I stopped it because I need to review again the GCTA granted to him (Sanchez) that is after the strong objection of the legal officer that I cannot start the release of those PDLs,” he added.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the release of thousands of prisoners must have been made under Republic Act (RA) 10575 or the “Bureau of Corrections Act of 2013.”
Under RA 10592, the BuCor chief is not authorized to order the release of prisoners.
“So, why is it that the director general [of BuCor] has the authority today to release prisoners under this law? If there is nothing in this law that authorizes their release?” Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto asked Guevarra.
“Well, it must be based on another law, not the GCTA. [The] BuCor Act. It’s the law that strengthens the BuCor, that authorizes [the BuCor chief to release prisoners],” the Justice chief answered.
Sen. Ana Theresia “Risa” Hontiveros asked Faeldon if he would resign. The BuCor head said he would not leave his post because he believed he was doing a good job.
Sen. Emmanuel Joel Villanueva, however, said Faeldon bungled his job.
“In today’s Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the scuttled release of convicted rapist Antonio Sanchez, we all saw how the inquiry uncovered the incompetence of the Bureau of Corrections, particularly its director, Undersecretary Nicanor Faeldon,” Villanueva said.
Rearrest
Also on Monday, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said police officers would rearrest the released convicts even without a warrant.
“These persons were convicted by the court to serve prison sentence for their crime. Should there be any nullification or invalidation of their early release from prison, these convicts will be treated as fugitives from justice, thus warrantless arrest is applicable,” PNP chief Oscar Albayalde told reporters.
“We are deeply concerned over the release of convicts, especially those convicted of heinous crime such as rape, murder and drug trafficking,” he added.
Albayalde encouraged former inmates to voluntarily go back to BuCor once the Justice department revoked their release order.
The PNP said it would deploy teams to track former inmates.
The BuCor released 22,049 prisoners under the GCTA Law, 1,194 of whom were convicted of heinous crimes.
WITH DARWIN PESCO