MANILA – Following the controversy of the good conduct time allowance (GCTA) law, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered a total revamp at the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor).
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Duterte issued the directive following the early release of thousands of heinous crime convicts and other anomalies.
“He wants to stop the corruption in the BuCor,” Panelo said. “The revamp will involve the removal of BuCor officials and employees and transfer of jail guards based in the provinces to the bureau.”
Duterte recently fired BuCor’s former director general Nicanor Faeldon and appointed Gerald Bantag as replacement.
BuCor has been at the center of controversy concerning the release of prisoners, particularly those convicted of heinous crimes due to GCTA.
The GCTA, which was expanded under a 2013 law, came under fire following reports that it could benefit Antonio Sanchez, a former mayor of Calauan, Laguna convicted in 1990’s rape-murder case.
According to the BuCor, at least 22,049 persons deprived of liberty were released from 2014 to 2019 through GCTA, with 1,914 of them convicted of heinous crimes such as murder and rape./PN
