Aguirre names new BuCor officer in charge

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II has named a temporary replacement for resigned Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) director general Benjamin de los Santos even as he told President Rodrigo Duterte that recently appointed Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) chair Dionisio Santiago was the right man for the job.

Aguirre issued Department Order No. 477 designating Rey Raagas, chief of the BuCor’s administrative division, as BuCor officer in charge, tasked to supervise all state penitentiaries, including New Bilibid Prison (NBP), in Muntinlupa City.

He signed the order on July 13, a copy of which was made public on Monday, the same day De los Santos tendered his irrevocable resignation over the reported resurgence of the illicit drug business in the NBP.

“Mr. Raagas is hereby authorized to perform functions in relation to the day-to-day operations of the bureau, functions delegated to the director general… and such other ministerial duties that are essential in order not to disrupt public service,” Aguirre said.

But the justice secretary still wanted Santiago, whose “guesstimate” of the country’s narcotics problem became the rallying cry of Mr. Duterte’s war on drugs, to take charge of the government’s efforts to nip in the bud the reemergence of the nefarious activities of some inmates in the state prison.

“In my humble opinion, Santiago can very well lead the BuCor,” Aguirre said in his July 14 letter to Mr. Duterte. —Marlon Ramos