FORMER justice secretary and now Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra on Sunday said that Congress should enact a law returning to the Department of Justice (DOJ) the full control over the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor).

This, Guevarra pointed out, could finally address the pestering problems now hounding prison facilities under BuCor, particularly the packed New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City.

While BuCor is an attached agency of the DOJ, Guevarra however lamented that because of the BuCor Modernization law of 2013, which granted autonomy to the agency, the “DOJ now only exercises supervision over it, but not full control.”

” Most of the shenanigans sa BUCOR are very deeply rooted and institutionalized. Kailangan talaga ng total overhaul. Among others, Congress should consider restoring full control, instead of mere supervision over the BUCOR, to the DOJ,” Guevarra said in a message.

BuCor’s 551-hectare NBP hogged headlines for the nth time following the death of broadcaster Percy Lapid last October 3.

Self-confessed gunman Joel Escorial upon his surrender claimed that the order to assassinate Lapid came inside the walls of the NBP.

Also, middleman Jun Villamor, who supposedly relayed the kill order to Escorial, mysteriously died in NBP.

Forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun, who conducted an independent autopsy, said that Villamor died of suffocation after a plastic bag was placed over his head.

The death of Villamor led to the preventive suspension of BuCor chief Gerald Bantag, and he was replaced in an acting capacity by Gregorio Catapang Jr., a former Armed Forces chief of staff.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Philippine National Police (PNP) have jointly filed two (2) murder complaints against Bantag, deputy security officer Ricardo Zulueta, and several others over the deaths of Lapid and Villamor.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Hector Lawas