Duterte wants no killer as BuCor boss; looks out for ‘honesty, competence’

MANILA, Philippines — “Honesty and competence” are two qualities that President Rodrigo Duterte is in search of for the next Bureau of Corrections chief.

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo disclosed this Thursday, after Duterte’s trusted aide – now Senator Christopher “Bong” Go – said the next BuCor boss should be a “killer.”

“You know, the President has only two qualifications: honesty and competence,” Panelo said Thursday in a Palace briefing.

“A killer? The President has not made any announcement on that so we’ll just have to wait for his appointing a person to replace chief Faeldon,” he said.

READ: Go: Next BuCor chief must be a ‘killer’

On Wednesday, Go said an “exasperated” Duterte has started looking for the next BuCor chief.

Duterte fired former BuCor chief Nicanor Faeldon for purportedly disobeying him on the release of heinous crime convicts under the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) law.

READ: Duterte to Faeldon: You’re fired

The President said he won’t likely reappoint Faeldon this time especially since the former marine officer has already been hired by “a private corporation.”

Faeldon had held three government posts under the Duterte administration – at Bureau of Customs (BOC), Office of Civil Defense, and BuCor.

READ: Duterte won’t reappoint Faeldon: He’s now hired by a ‘private corporation’

But despite being embroiled in a couple of controversies – the P6.4 billion shabu smuggling at BOC and GCTA mess at BuCor – Duterte said he still trusts Faeldon, whom he even described as an “upright” man. /kga