Next BuCor chief must be honest, competent: Palace

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said although the President has yet to appoint a replacement for sacked BuCor chief Nicanor Faeldon, his qualifications for the next chief were simple. (File Photo: Radyo Pilipinas/Facebook)

MANILA — For President Rodrigo Duterte, the next Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief must have two qualifications in terms of his management style, Malacañang said on Thursday.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said although the President has yet to appoint a replacement for sacked BuCor chief Nicanor Faeldon, his qualifications for the next chief were simple.

“You know, the President has only two qualifications – honesty and competence,” Panelo said in a Palace brieifng.

“The President has not made any announcement on that, so we’ll just have to wait for his appointing a person to replace Chief Faeldon,” he added.

BuCor Assistant Secretary and Deputy Director General Melvin Ramon Buenafe currenty serves as officer-in-charge.

Duterte dismissed Faeldon for disobeying his order to block the release of almost 2,000 heinous crimes convicts under the controversial Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) law.

He said he has no plans of reappointing Faeldon, who has had stints at the Office of Civil Defense and Bureau of Customs, since he is already working for the private sector.

However, Duterte said he still trusts Faeldon because he believed in his “honesty” when he tipped off the seizure of PHP3.2 billion worth of Mighty Corp. cigarettes with fake tax stamps in Bulacan.