Bantag must ‘overcome’ persistent bribery at Bilibid – DOJ chief

MANILA, Philippines — The continuing cases of bribery at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) is a challenge that newly-appointed Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gerald Bantag has to beat, Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Wednesday.

Guevarra made the remark following Bantag’s revelation that bribery continues at the national penitentiary despite the recent change in the BuCor leadership.

“DG Bantag has personal knowledge of facts on the ground. I am sure that inmates with money will continue to buy convenience, luxury, and freedom to engage in nefarious activities while in detention,” Guevarra said.

“That’s the challenge that DG Bantag has to overcome,” he added.

The newly-appointed BuCor chief said influential inmates at NBP are no longer bribing him out of fear, but that bribery continues with other BuCor personnel.

Bantag replaced Nicanor Faeldon, whom President Rodrigo Duterte dismissed amid controversies surrounding the implementation of the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) law that allowed the release of nearly 2,000 heinous crime convicts.

Following his appointment, Bantag said he would not shave his beard until issues within the BuCor had been addressed.

“For me, my beard serves as a mark that as long as it is there, problems within BuCor have not been addressed. Once it’s gone, it’s already OK,” he said in a radio interview. /kga