President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday fired Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Nicanor Faeldon following the release of 1,914 heinous crimes convicts under the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) law.
The President said the former marine captain has to go because he disobeyed his order. Duterte announced this as Faeldon continues to undergo investigation by the Senate regarding the GCTA.
Faeldon came under fire after news surfaced that BuCor had approved the release of convicted rapist-killer Antonio Sanchez based on good conduct while in prison. The former Calauan, Laguna mayor was supposed to be released last August after earning enough GCTA, which allows the early release of convicts. During the Senate hearing on Monday, it was revealed that Faeldon had allowed the processing of Sanchez’s release. This, however, did not push through following massive public outcry and the President’s order not to release Sanchez.
The President also ordered the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate BuCor officials who have been with the agency since 2015, or a year after the early release of prisoners started. The BuCor earlier said nearly 2,000 heinous crime convicts have been released since 2014.
Before his stint at the BuCor, Faeldon was chief of the Bureau of Customs. He resigned after a P6.4-billion shipment of shabu slipped past port inspections in 2017. The President then reappointed him to the Office of Civil Defense before picking him as BuCor chief.
