Santiago to remove SAF from Bilibid if appointed BuCor chief

Newly appointed Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) head Dionisio Santiago said on Sunday that, should he be appointed Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief, he would remove the Special Action Force (SAF) from the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).

"Kailangan sila (SAF) somewhere else. It's time for them to be police officers," Santiago said on Super Radyo dzBB.

Dionisio: Aalisin ko ang mga SAF sa NBP. Kailangan sila somewhere else. It's time for them to be police officers.

— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) July 16, 2017

Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Ronald dela Rosa had also made it known that he wanted the elite police unit removed from the NBP to prevent them from taking the blame in the reported resurgence of the illegal drug trade inside the jail.

Last week, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II recommended that Santiago once again head the BuCor-  (he last headed the Bureau from 2003 to 2004 )- following the recent resignation from the post of Director General Benjamin delos Santos.

According to Santiago, Aguirre's recommendation was a welcome development, but it would ultimately be up to President Rodrigo Duterte to make it official or not.

"I'm very grateful... It's an honor," he said, adding that "Ang president ang may last say doon."

Santiago was appointed DDB head on July 8. — Jon Viktor Cabuenas/DVM/KVD, GMA News