After firing Bucor chief, Duterte says Faeldon ‘an upright person’

President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday said he still believes in former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Nicanor Faeldon even after firing him over the early release of heinous crimes convicts.

“Faeldon tarong na nga tawo [He is an upright person]. I still believe in him,” Duterte said in a mix of Cebuano and English during the groundbreaking ceremony for a housing project in Naga City, Cebu.

Duterte again praised Faeldon for tipping him off about Mighty Corporation’s production of fake cigarette stamps in 2017. This forced the company to settle its multi-billion peso tax dues to the government.

Faeldon got the axe on Wednesday as Duterte said the former BuCor chief disobeyed his instruction to halt the release of convicted criminals through the expanded good conduct time allowance law.

However, the President sidestepped the question during the hastily called press conference on Wednesday night on whether he will appoint Faeldon, a former Customs commissioner and Office of Civil Defense deputy administrator, to another government post.

He also said in jest that one has to ask Faeldon first where the latter wants to be assigned next. —NB, GMA News