Palace: Next-in rank officials to takeover posts of suspended BuCor execs

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered next-in rank officials of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) to assume the duties of their superiors who were suspended by the Office of the Ombudsman, Malacañang said Friday.

“Ang instruction ni Presidente ay iyong mga next-in-rank ang magti-take over doon sa mga suspended; sila ang papalit,” presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Friday in a radio interview over dzMM.

The Office of the Ombudsman on Monday suspended 27 BuCor officials for six months as they face grave misconduct cases for the premature release of convicted heinous criminals under Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) Law.

On Tuesday, the Ombudsman suspended three more BuCor officials over the GCTA mess.

READ: Ombudsman suspends 3 more BuCor execs as probe into GCTA mess continues   

The suspension of BuCor officials came after Duterte fired BuCor chief Nicanor Faeldon on September 3 for disobeying an order not to release the heinous crime convicts.

Malacañang has welcomed the suspension, saying “the expectation is we want the truth on the matter in the bureau to come out so that the heads will roll.”

READ: Palace welcomes suspension of 27 BuCor execs; wants nothing but truth

In a speech Thursday in Bataan, Duterte vowed to fire BuCor officials involved in corruption and spare those who only implemented the GCTA law in “good faith.”

READ: Duterte: Corrupt BuCor officials ‘have to go’

/kga