Faeldon gets boot

I decided last night. Faeldon has to go because Faeldon disobeyed my order.

President Rodrigo Duterte says BuCor chief has to go.

President Rodrigo Duterte has sacked Nicanor Faeldon as Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) director general amid the controversy surrounding the early release of convicts under the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) Law.

In a hastily called news conference in Malacañang, the Chief Executive said he wanted Faeldon out after documents showed the latter signed the release papers of several inmates convicted of heinous crimes.

“Yes,” Mr. Duterte replied to reporters when asked if he is categorically announcing the firing of Faeldon. “I decided last night. Faeldon has to go because Faeldon disobeyed my order.”

He also called on the Office of the Ombudsman to place Faeldon under investigation “for possible corruption.”

On his spokesman Salvador Panelo, Mr. Duterte said he did not commit conflict of interest for referring the request for clemency to the Board of Pardons and Parole and in meeting the family of Sanchez twice in his office in Malacañang.

The President also instructed the almost 2,000 inmates freed to surrender “within 15 days” or he would be forced to put a P1 million bounty on each of them.

To recall, Mr. Duterte, during his recent trip to China, said release orders of convicts did not pass through the Office of the President and that he would “make answerable” whoever approved their GCTA.

The BuCor chief came under fire after news surfaced that his office had approved convicted rapist-killer Antonio Sanchez’s release based on good conduct while in prison.

Sanchez was supposed to be released last August for his supposed “good conduct” behind bars. This, however, did not push through following public outrage.

Faeldon admitted he signed an order that supposedly started the processing of Sanchez’s release, but insisted he had no choice but to follow Republic Act (RA) 10592, the 2013 law which paved the way for the GCTA to be implemented retroactively and decrease prison time of inmates.

The Palace, however, earlier argued that those convicted of heinous crimes and repeat offenders are disqualified from benefitting from the said law.

The President has ordered the Department of Justice (DoJ) to ensure that there will be “no releases” pending the review of RA 10592.

Terminated Bureau of Corrections chief Nicanor Faeldon (left) will still face a Senate inquiry despite Sen. Manny Pacquiao’s expression of trust in his honesty and integrity.

First the complement — Senator Manny Pacquiao expressed belief that Faeldon is a good and honest man amid the controversies facing him.

The knockout punchline from the planet’s boxing icon, however, was that the former military rebel should vacate his post for the meantime while an investigation on the implementation of the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) Law is undertaken.

“I know that Undersecretary Faeldon is a good man and has served his country well, but I really believe that he can spare the President and this administration from embarrassment,” Pacquiao advised.

“It is temporary anyway and he can easily go back to the BuCor or in any other government position once this issue has been fully clarified,” Pacquiao’s statement added.

“The President is unnecessarily dragged into this whole mess being the appointing authority. If Usec. Faeldon truly respects the President, he must do the right thing. I’m pretty sure everything will work out for him in the end,” the Senator added.

The lawmaker insisted that he “fully believes in the integrity and honesty” of the BuCor chief, but the aborted release of rape-slay convict Antonio Sanchez “demands his full and undivided attention especially in attending ongoing investigations by the Senate and the House of Representatives.”

Pacquiao indicated the supposed release of the former Calauan mayor and other criminals detained due to heinous crimes should not have happened.

The legislator, however, noted the alleged GCTA-for-sale inside the BuCor is just “too fantastic (to be true) and was clearly exaggerated.”

Thus, the senator reiterated his call for the death penalty given the recent controversies that came out, including the botched release of prisoners convicted of heinous crimes.

“This GCTA Law should be reviewed and should only cover petty crimes. On the other hand, this controversy should already serve as a wakeup call for Congress to finally approve reimposition of the death penalty on certain heinous crimes,” Pacquiao said.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III believed Mr. Duterte will overhaul BuCor amid the recent controversies plaguing the jail and justice system.

“The way I know the President, I’ll venture a guess that he will revamp the whole officialdom. He will not leave anyone behind. I will support what Senator Bong Go has said that heads will roll,” Sotto said in an ambush interview.

Senator Sonny Angara also urged Faeldon to take a leave of absence or resign to ensure an impartial investigation.

“It is best if he will leave or resign. If he doesn’t want to resign from his post, at least he should leave to give way to an impartial investigation,” Angara said.

Meanwhile, Senators Panfilo Lacson and Imee Marcos gave the decision to the Chief Executive, saying the Senate has no authority to fire Faeldon despite the corruption allegations thrown against him.

“I have always maintained that resignation is a personal decision and nobody is more entitled to it than Usec. Faeldon himself. Since he already stated that he is leaving his fate to the appointing authority, obviously the ball is in the President’s court to decide. Having said that, the challenge for good governance including his oft-repeated vow to fight drugs and corruption is now put to test once more,” Lacson said.

Marcos, whose mother former first lady Imelda Marcos was one of the officials asked to refer a letter for executive clemency of Sanchez, expressed the same opinion.

“Just what I said, who am I to judge? I am not in the position to remove or retain Usec. Faeldon. I believe the higher authority will quickly act on the matter,” Marcos said, referring to the President.

There is a growing consensus among members of the minority coalition to amend the GCTA Law after it was wrongly implemented, resulting to the release of 1,914 inmates convicted of heinous crimes.

House Minority Leader and Manila Rep. Benny Abante Jr. said this at the weekly press conference of the minority bloc yesterday.

“It is clear that after the hearings conducted by both chambers of Congress that amendments to the GCTA Law are needed due to the confusion surrounding its provisions, particularly on the issue pertaining to those convicted of heinous crimes.”

Abante said he plans to tap the lawyer-members of the minority to lead efforts to amend Republic Act 10592 or the GCTA Law to “eliminate” or “minimize discretion” of the officials applying the law, saying that the more discretion is involved, the more likely it will be vulnerable to corruption.