Duterte designates ex-jail warden as new BuCor chief
Credit to Author: CATHERINE S. VALENTE, TMT| Date: Tue, 17 Sep 2019 10:01:34 +0000
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte designated Gerald Bantag as the new director general of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), Malacañang announced on Tuesday.
Bantag replaced former BuCor chief Nicanor Faeldon, who was fired by the President following the approval of the controversial release of several heinous crime convicts.
Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said Bantag, currently the regional director of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Mimaropa or Region 4B, was designated BuCor chief because of his “professional competence and honesty.”
Mimaropa is Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan.
“The Palace welcomes the designation of Mr. Gerald Quitaleg Bantag as the new Director-General of the Bureau of Corrections,” Panelo said in a statement.
“Mr. Bantag was designated by the President as the new DG of the BuCor based on his professional competence and honesty,” he added.
The new BuCor chief was named on the heels of the controversial early release of heinous crime convicts under Faeldon’s leadership.
Data from the BuCor revealed that over 22,000 prisoners, including 1,914 heinous crime convicts, have been released from 2014 to early August this year. The number of freed heinous crime convicts significantly increased from 62 in 2014 to 816 in 2019.
Duterte had directed the conduct of an investigation against erring BuCor officials allegedly involved in the granting of good conduct time allowance (GCTA) to heinous crime convicts.
GCTA is credited against a prisoner’s jail sentence, allowing his early release.
Panelo said the Palace was optimistic that Bantag would help Duterte rid the BuCor of corruption.
“The Palace is behind the President’s decision and is confident that DG Bantag will continue the Administration’s campaign against corruption as he spearheads reform initiatives in the Bureau,” he said.
Prior to his designation, Bantag also previously served as jail warden of the Parañaque, Manila and Malabon city jails.
In 2016, Bantag was the jail warden when a powerful blast hit the Parañaque City jail that left 10 people dead. He was among those injured in the blast.
Bantag was also previously accused of alleged illegal discharge of firearm and estafa in Malabon back in 2014. In 2007, he was accused of allegedly trying to kill a teenager in Caloocan City.
Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go had said he would recommend to the President to hire a “killer” at the BuCor amid allegations of corruption in the operations of the facility. CATHERINE S. VALENTE