Bucor chief sacked, de Lima searches for new NBP head
PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino 3rd on Thursday sacked the chief of the Bureau of Corrections because of the disappearance on Tuesday of high-profile convict Rolito Go.
Palace spokesman Edwin Lacierda, who yesterday faced the media along with Interior Sec- retary Jesse Robredo, National Security Adviser Cesar Garcia and Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, said that Mr. Aquino has suspended BuCor chief Gaudencio Pangilinan indefinitely and has ordered de Lima to appoint an acting BuCor head.
Lacierda said that Pangilinan had also offered to go on leave while the incident is being investigated.
Meanwhile, de Lima will serve as head of the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) until an officer-incharge is appointed.
“President Aquino has ordered an in-depth, multi-agency investigation into the circumstances surrounding Rolito Go’s disappearance and eventual reappearance,” Lacierda told reporters.
De Lima said that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) will conduct the investigation.
“So it’s actually an inter-agency or a joint investigation by NBI and PNP-CIDG on the actual circumstances surrounding his [ Rolito Go’s] disappearance: What exactly happened? Was it a case of abduction? Was it a case of an escape or something else? We have to look into that because, in either case, we need again to look into the actuations of Bucor officials, if anyone of them can be held accountable. And, as a matter of fact, several of- ficers including prison guards have been already suspended— either suspended or altogether sacked because of the incident,” the Justice chief said.
Pangilinan was appointed as BuCor director in July last year after another inmate, former Batangas governor Antonio Leviste was seen frequenting his Makati City office despite serving a 12-year sentence at the NBP for killing a subordinate. He replaced Ernesto Diokno.
De Lima said that the President was very disappointed upon learning of Go’s disappearance.
“He said [that] he thought all the safeguards and all the reform initiatives have been put in place to avoid similar incidents as that of Governor [Antonio] Leviste. So he is really disappointed and that’s why he immediately ordered an investigation,” she said.