Pacquiao urges BuCor chief Faeldon to take leave of absence

“The President is unnecessarily dragged into this whole mess being the appointing authority. If Usec Faeldon truly respects the President, he must do the right thing. I’m pretty sure everything will work out for him in the end,” Pacquiao said. (File Photo: Senate of the Philippines/Facebook)

Senator Manny Pacquiao told Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Nicanor Faeldon to take a leave of absence amid controversies he is involved in.

In a statement on Wednesday, September 4, the senator said that by taking a leave of absence, the BuCor chief can spare President Rodrigo Duterte, who appointed him to the post in 2018, from “embarrassment.”

“The President is unnecessarily dragged into this whole mess being the appointing authority. If Usec Faeldon truly respects the President, he must do the right thing. I’m pretty sure everything will work out for him in the end,” he said.

Pacquiao’s remarks came as Faeldon faces probe on the alleged questionable application of the Republic Act (RA) No. 10592, which grants early release of convicts on the basis of good behavior. The implementation of the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) law has drawn outrage after it was reported that convicted murderer and rapist Antonio Sanchez could walk out of prison. Sanchez was sentenced to seven counts of reclusion perpetua or up to 40 years imprisonment for the rape-slay of University of the Philippines-Los Baños (UPLB) student Eileen Sarmenta, and for the murder of another UPLB student Allan Gomez.

Although he believes in the integrity and honesty of the BuCor chief, Pacquiao said Faeldon needs to give his full and undivided attention as he addresses the controversy on the release of heinous crime convicts.

The senator also did not believe that there is a so-called “GCTA-for-sale” in the BuCor.

“Sa ngayon, kwentong barbero lang ‘yang GCTA-for-sale na sinasabi nila dahil wala pa naman silang maipakitang ebidensiya (For now, what they call as GCTA-for-sale is just a hearsay because they cannot show evidence),” he said.

The controversy on the application of the GCTA law, Pacquiao stressed, should serve as a “wake up call” for lawmakers to approve  the “re-imposition of death penalty on certain heinous crimes.”

During a Senate hearing on Monday, Faeldon said he believes that he should not step down from his post as he is doing his job ‘well.’

[READ: Faeldon says he won’t step down as BuCor chief]

The President, meanwhile, will decide whether he will fire Faeldon or not after the Senate hearings regarding the controversy, according to Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo on Tuesday.

“I talked with him (Duterte) yesterday and that’s what he told me: ‘There is an ongoing investigation and I’ll wait for the investigation,'” the Palace official had said.