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Manila Bulletin devider devider Detained BuCor officials released by Senate for 'cooperation'

Detained BuCor officials released by Senate for 'cooperation'

Published Sep 19, 2019 07:43 pm
By Vanne Elaine Terrazola The Senate justice and human rights committee has ordered the release of the three Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) officials who were detained in the chamber's premises for contempt. Senate of the Philippines (MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) Senate of the Philippines (MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) Senator Richard Gordon, committee chairman, bared Thursday afternoon that he has signed the release order for BuCor legal division chief Fredric Santos, documents division chief Ramoncito "Chito" Roque and New Bilibid Prison (NBP) hospital doctor Ursicio Cenas. The three were held by the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms after they were cited in contempt last September 12 for "lying" about their knowledge on the "GCTA for Sale" and other corruption schemes inside the state penitentiary in Muntinlupa City. In an interview after the justice panel sixth hearing on the implementation of the good conduct time allowance (GCTA) law, Gordon said he and Senate President Vicente Sotto III agreed to free the three prison officials after some sort of "cooperation" from them. One of them supposedly wrote a letter about the corrupt practices in the Bilibid. Gordon did not name the letter writer "because their lives are in danger." Santos, Roque, and Cenas were set to be released from Senate detention Thursday night. Gordon, meanwhile, seemed to be satisfied with the admission of Corrections Officer Veronica Buño about her exchanges with whistleblower Yolanda Camilon. Camilon, to recall, revealed that she paid BuCor officials P50,000 for the early release of her husband through the GCTA. She earlier played a recording of her supposed phone conversation with Buño about her husband's release. In Thursday's hearing, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Dante Gierran said they found that Buño and Camilon did not talk over phone but texted each other. Buño confirmed this, saying she has been messaging Camilon. The BuCor personnel also submitted to the NBI her passcode-protected mobile phone for examination after she was served with a warrant from the court. Gordon said this led to Buño cooperating with them, sharing her knowledge about the corruption in the agency during an executive session with the justice committee panel earlier. "Now that there are more cooperation on their part and there's clarity with what is happening, I think it's more important to go on our main task which is we have a prison system that is rotten to the core," he said in a mix of English and Filipino. The justice panel is expected to hold its last hearing on the BuCor controversy on October 1.
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