Fired BuCor chief Faeldon now at the Senate to attend 3rd hearing on GCTA law

FILE: Nicanor Faeldon (PCOO photo)

Sacked Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Nicanor Faeldon arrived at the Senate on Thursday afternoon, September 5, to attend the third hearing on the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) law.

He made an appearance after Senator Richard Gordon, chair of the Blue Ribbon and Justice committees, said that the lawyer of Faeldon sent a message asking permission if the latter could skip the hearing. Although his attendance was important, the senator said he and his colleagues decided to be “magnanimous.”

Before the hearing resumes, Faeldon was asked by the media about how he was feeling after President Rodrigo Duterte fired him last night, September 4.

“I’ve never been happier than now. ‘Pag nawalan ka ng yoke sa balikat mo (When the yoke is gone in your shoulders), you can soundly sleep,” he answered.

Faeldon’s dismissal came amid the controversy involving the early release of almost 2,000 heinous crime convicts, including the three persons in the 1997 Chiong sisters case, and the botched release of former Calauan, Laguna Mayor Antonio Sanchez who was convicted for the rape and murder of Eileen Sarmenta and the murder of Allan Gomez.

Being a BuCor chief was Faeldon’s third public post under the Duterte administration. Before he replaced then director-general Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa in the BuCor, Faeldon served as the Bureau of Customs (BOC) chief. During his watch, the BOC was placed in hot waters after some billions worth of shabu slipped past port inspections in 2017. After his stint at the BOC, he was designated as Office of the Civil Defense deputy administrator.

In a statement on Wednesday, Faeldon accepted the Chief Executive’s decision to fire him “with no hard feelings.”

The dismissed BuCor chief had also bid farewell to his staff. According to Team Faeldon’s Twitter account, Faeldon’s final words to them were, “Do not cry, do not be sad, we were gifted with an opportunity to serve our country. Not everyone is given the gift to serve our country and people.”

https://twitter.com/FaeldonLegal/status/1169372015033110528

Meanwhile, the next BuCor chief is yet to be announced.