Bantag takes oath as BuCor chief

NEW BUCOR CHIEF. Newly-appointed Bureau of Corrections (BuCOr) Director-General Gerald Bantag takes his oath of office before Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra at the Department of Justice office in Manila on Friday (Sept. 20, 2019). Bantag replaced Nicanor Faeldon who was dismissed by the President for disobeying his order to stop the release of almost 2,000 heinous crimes convicts under the Good Conduct Time Allowance law. (Photo courtesy of DOJ Public Information Office)

MANILA — Newly-appointed Bureau of Corrections (BuCOr) Director-General Gerald Bantag on Friday took his oath of office before Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra.

Bantag’s first day as BuCor chief coincides with the end of the 15-day deadline set by President Rodrigo Duterte for prisoners erroneously released under the Good Conduct Time Allowance Law (GCTA) to surrender.

On Wednesday, Guevarra ordered Bantag to eradicate irregularities at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).

“I told him to focus on three major objectives, in the order of urgency: (1) clean up the GCTA (Good Conduct Time Allowance) mess; (2) full computerization; and (3) stop the illegal drug trade inside,” Guevarra told reporters shortly after his meeting with Bantag.

Bantag, former warden of the Parañaque and Manila City jails, replaced Nicanor Faeldon who was dismissed by the President for disobeying his order to stop the release of almost 2,000 heinous crimes convicts under the controversial GCTA law.

Prior to his appointment, Bantag served as head of Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan).