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Calls for Faeldon's resignation snowball in Senate
Calls for embattled Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Nicanor Faeldon to resign or take a leave of absence have snowballed in the Senate amid the controversy involving the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) law.
Senator Francis Pangilinan said Faeldon should either resign or be removed as BuCor chief as he is allegedly avoiding responsibility and accountability, especially in the possible release of convicted rapist-murderer Antonio Sanchez on the basis of the GCTA law.
"Umiiiwas sa responsibilidad at pananagutan n’ya sa tangkang palayain si Sanchez sa pamamagitan ng palusot na sa bandang huli ay inamin din n’ya na s’ya ang nag-utos kahit walang approval ng DOJ (Department of Justice)," Pangilinan said, referring to Faeldon's testimony during the hearing on the GCTA and Sanchez issues.
Nagsarili siyang kumilos ng walang pahintulot ng DoJ, nang nabuko ay sinubukan naman maghugas kamay, nilaglag ang sperintendent na pumipirma ng release order ngunit sa huling banda ay napatunayan sa hearing na siya mismo ang may utos at sa gayon ang may sala."
Pangilinan, in a text message to GMA News Online, said Faeldon should own up to his mistakes and resign, noting that Faeldon's stint at the Bureau of Customs was likewise marred with controversies.
"Dapat akuin n’ya ang mga pangyayari at magbitiw. Palpak na sa BOC, palpak pa rin sa BuCor. Mahiya naman ang gobyernong ito sa taumbayan at sibakin na itong si Faeldon at kasuhan," he said.
Senator Joel Villanueva expressed hope that Faeldon will have the humility to resign and the decency to realize that he is ineffective and is slowly becoming the epitome of the government’s failure to address corruption.
"His stints in Customs and now in BuCor [were] associated with drug smuggling and corruption," Villanueva said in a separate text message. "He should permanently be dumped and not recycled."
"I know that Undersecretary Faeldon is a good man and has served his country well but I really [think] that he can spare the president and this administration from embarrassment by taking a leave-of-absence. It is temporary anyway and he can easily go back to the BuCor or in any other government position once this issue has been fully clarified," Pacquiao said.
Senator Panfilo Lacson, for his part, said resignation is a personal decision and nobody is more entitled to it than Faeldon himself.
“Since he already stated that he is leaving his fate to the appointing authority, obviously the ball is in the president’s court to decide. Having said that, the challenge for good governance including his oft repeated vow to fight drugs and corruption is now put to test once more,” he said in a text message to GMA News Online.
But on Twitter, Lacson said "neither cleansing nor detoxification can cure the Bureau of Corrections. Let’s try evisceration. It might work."
Neither cleansing nor detoxification can cure the Bureau of Corrections. Let’s try evisceration. It might work.
— PING LACSON (@iampinglacson) September 4, 2019
Senator Ronald dela Rosa, meanwhile, said he will let Faeldon decide.
“I cannot decide for him. Dapat konsensyahan na lang. If he has committed corruption or irregularities then he should resign but if he has not and he was just performing his duties without irregularities then why should he resign,” he said.
For his part, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian echoed calls for Faeldon’s resignation.
“Given the string of anomalies that has hounded Usec. Faeldon in every government agency he has headed, the only honorable thing he can do at this point is to resign out of delicadeza,” Gatchalian said in a statement.
Gatchalian said Faeldon’s answers during the past two Senate hearings “showed that he was ill prepared for the hearing and full of inconsistencies.”
“To achieve true reform in the Bureau of Corrections, Faeldon needs to go. And the sooner he resigns, the better,” he said. —KBK/RSJ, GMA News
