BuCor budget shouldn't suffer due to Sanchez fiasco
Published Sep 3, 2019 02:32 pm
By Ellson Quismorio
The Antonio Sanchez issue and the questionable application of the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) law on his case shouldn't negatively impact the 2020 budget of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), Camiguin lone district Rep. Xavier Jesus "XJ" Romualdo said Tuesday.
Camiguin Rep. Xavier Jesus “XJ” Romualdo
(Facebook / MANILA BULLETIN) "Well I think that the GCTA issue will certainly put the BuCor's proposed budget under a more intense spotlight," Romualdo, a lawyer, noted. "But I don't think that the agency's budget should suffer," he said. "After all, the GCTA controversy isn't a budgetary matter. It has more to do with the competence and/or integrity and character of BuCor officials," explained Romualdo, who is a Deputy Majority Leader. BuCor officials--especially its Director-General, Nicanor Faeldon--are in how water right now over the near-release of Sanchez, a former Calauan, Laguna who in 1995 was convicted for the rape-slay of Eileen Sarmenta and the killing of her companion, Allan Gomez. The murder of the two University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) occurred two years prior. Faeldon's alleged signature appears on a release order for Sanchez dated August 20. He denied signing the document during a Senate panel investigation Monday. Sanchez is supposedly one of the more than 10,000 inmates who could be freed early due to the implementation of Republic Act (RA) 10592, or the law that increased the GTCA given to the prisoners. He was originally sentenced to seven life terms. The heinous nature of the ex-mayor's crime--coupled with the well-documented confiscation of illegal drugs from his cell on multiple occasions--caused a public uproar regarding his impending release. Reports of the impending release of the infamous inmate grabbed headlines even as the House of Representatives was busy holding budget deliberations with the different agencies of the country. The House holds the power of the purse, or basically the prerogative to determine how government funds are spent. On Tuesday morning, the House Committee on Justice was briefed on the implementation of the GCTA by officials from the Department of Justice (DOJ), which oversees the operations of BuCor. "Once we establish the facts then we'll see what the proper courses of action on the part of Congress would be," Romualdo said. BuCor is the agency in charge of the country's penal system.
Camiguin Rep. Xavier Jesus “XJ” Romualdo(Facebook / MANILA BULLETIN) "Well I think that the GCTA issue will certainly put the BuCor's proposed budget under a more intense spotlight," Romualdo, a lawyer, noted. "But I don't think that the agency's budget should suffer," he said. "After all, the GCTA controversy isn't a budgetary matter. It has more to do with the competence and/or integrity and character of BuCor officials," explained Romualdo, who is a Deputy Majority Leader. BuCor officials--especially its Director-General, Nicanor Faeldon--are in how water right now over the near-release of Sanchez, a former Calauan, Laguna who in 1995 was convicted for the rape-slay of Eileen Sarmenta and the killing of her companion, Allan Gomez. The murder of the two University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) occurred two years prior. Faeldon's alleged signature appears on a release order for Sanchez dated August 20. He denied signing the document during a Senate panel investigation Monday. Sanchez is supposedly one of the more than 10,000 inmates who could be freed early due to the implementation of Republic Act (RA) 10592, or the law that increased the GTCA given to the prisoners. He was originally sentenced to seven life terms. The heinous nature of the ex-mayor's crime--coupled with the well-documented confiscation of illegal drugs from his cell on multiple occasions--caused a public uproar regarding his impending release. Reports of the impending release of the infamous inmate grabbed headlines even as the House of Representatives was busy holding budget deliberations with the different agencies of the country. The House holds the power of the purse, or basically the prerogative to determine how government funds are spent. On Tuesday morning, the House Committee on Justice was briefed on the implementation of the GCTA by officials from the Department of Justice (DOJ), which oversees the operations of BuCor. "Once we establish the facts then we'll see what the proper courses of action on the part of Congress would be," Romualdo said. BuCor is the agency in charge of the country's penal system.