MANILA, Philippines — Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Nicanor Faeldon admitted on Monday signing a memorandum order recommending the release of persons deprived of liberty (PDL), including former Calauan Mayor Antonio Sanchez.
But Faeldon said the memorandum order was not an official release order.
“There is no order yet to release, your honor. As far as the ex-mayor is concerned, there is a memorandum of release recommended for his release,” he said, responding to queries of Senator Richard Gordon.
“I did not sign the order to officially release Sanchez,” he said, “There was never a completed release order for mayor. There was never an official release order.”
Faeldon though admitted that the memorandum paved the way for the processing of all the papers for the release of PDLs.
“I started the process, sir,” he said.
Faeldon gave the same answers when Gordon’s questioning was pursued by Senator Panfilo Lacson.
Lacson presented several signatures during the hearing and asked Faeldon to confirm if they were his signatures.
Faeldon confirmed his signatures but reiterated that what he only signed was the memorandum for release, and not a release order.
There is another person, he said, who is authorised to sign the release order.
“Only the superintendent can issue the release order,” the BuCor chief explained.
At one point, however, Faeldon mentioned that he also recalled that order.
But he later clarified his statement, saying that what they stopped was the process of release. /je