Aguirre orders BuCor chief to stay; Delos Santos says no

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Friday ordered Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Benjamin Delos Santos to stay in his post pending Malacañang's action on his resignation, only to be rebuffed by the former police official.

Aguirre issued a memorandum telling Delos Santos to continue functioning as BuCor director general so as "not to hamper" the agency's operation pending the Office of the President's action on his "irrevocable" resignation.

Sec. Aguirre orders BuCor chief Delos Santos to continue functioning as director general pending Palace action on resignation | @virgillopez pic.twitter.com/go4MyvCVDY

— GMA News (@gmanews) July 14, 2017

Reached for comment, Delos Santos said he would not comply with Aguirre's directive.

"Nope," Delos Santos said in a text message, adding it would be better for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to just name an officer-in-charge.

Delos Santos said he stopped reporting for work since Thursday, the day he filed his resignation addressed to President Rodrigo Duterte and coursed through Aguirre.

Earlier, Aguirre said he is eyeing newly appointed Dangerous Drugs Board Chairman Dionisio Santiago, a former BuCor head, as Delos Santos' successor.

Delos Santos left his post as reports about the revival of the illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison have allegedly made him "irrelevant."

It was Aguirre who disclosed on July 3 that the illegal drug trade has started to return a year after authorities launched a crackdown on the narcotics business in the national penitentiary.

The matter is now being looked into by the National Bureau of Investigation. — RSJ, GMA News