BuCor official denies part in GCTA-for-sale scam

MANILA, Philippines — Senior Insp. Maribel Bansil of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) denied on Saturday being involved in the alleged early-freedom-for-sale scheme at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).

“I nothing to do with that so-called GCTA [good conduct time allowance]-for-sale,” Bansil, speaking in Filipino, said in an interview over AM radio station DZMM on Saturday.

Bansil was reacting to the accusation made by Yolanda Camelon, who bared at the Senate inquiry on Thursday night that she paid Bansil P50,000 for the early release of her common-law partner from the NBP under the good conduct time allowance (GCTA) law.

READ: Witness tells Senate: Freedom comes with a price tag in Bilibid

Bansil said she was assigned to BuCor’s external affairs section. According to her, it’s BuCor’s documentation section that handles the GCTA.

Bansil said, as a public official, she accompanied Camelon to the house of Staff Sgt. Ramoncito Roque. Bansil said Camelon wanted to talk to Roque about the GCTA for her common-law partner.

Bansil said she was not aware of the early-freedom-for-sale scheme.

“I just heard that her husband was in the GCTA papers. But nothing was mentioned about money. All I heard was: ‘I’ll take care of it for you,’” she said, speaking in Filipino.

The exact quote in her last sentence is “Ako na ang bahala sa iyo.”

“I have no involvement in that part about the money. Whatever transaction the two of them had, I have nothing to do with it,” she added.

Bansil also noted that she did not see Camelon giving money to Roque.

She said she suffered from “low morale” after being tagged in the GCTA mess.

She added, however, that she had received no threats to her life.

/atm