President Duterte on Thursday said the Bureau of Corrections will start from scratch as he said that everybody in the agency “has to go” due to corruption.
Duterte made the statement amid the Senate investigation due to corruption at the BuCor and the questionable release of inmates under the Good Conduct Time Allowance law or Republic Act 10592.
In a speech in Balanga City, Bataan, Duterte said that he might ignore those who thought they were just implementing the law. But he said that he will not show mercy to those who were involved in the corruption in the bureau.
“So setting aside all the legal infirmities there, even if it was allowed, corruption was present. Sabihin ko lang sa inyo. And everybody will go – will have to go,” he said. “Not because they were maybe exercising a questionable provision of law and arrogating upon themselves or to themselves that power, wala sa akin ‘yan. If it has done in good faith, hindi kita anuhin,” he added.
“Pero kung sabihin mo na ‘bayaran,’ ah that is another story. I will hit you not because the law was in the limbo but because of corruption. So ‘yan ang maaasahan ninyo diyan.”
Duterte reiterated that the GCTA law was really vulnerable to misinterpretation because it was not stated clearly who should decide who gets released.
“Ang problema niyang batas na ‘yan, wala talagang batas nagsabi kung sino. That’s the greatest hiatus of them all,” he said. “Walang sinabi ang batas kung sinong magpirma. So the guys there sa BuCor took upon themselves to arrogate the power and started a practice which was continued,” he added.
Duterte said it would be hard to convict those in the BuCor since the law itself is questionable.
“When the Secretary of Justice himself si Menardo Guevarra said that ‘We will ask for a clarificatory question or for the Supreme Court to explain,’ that law becomes in doubt and questionable, then you cannot convict a person for the rule that he must be proved to be guilty beyond reasonable doubt,” he said. “Eh kung ang mga abogado hindi sigurado, then how can you convict this idiot? Although it was really – even if it was regular or allowed, corruption was there,” he added.
The GCTA controversy in the BuCor led to the sacking of Director General Nicanor Faeldon. Rapist and murderer former Calauan, Laguna Mayor Antonio Sanchez was reported to be set for release because of the GCTA. (Argyll Geducos)