Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra has advised the officials of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) to consult with him “on matters of public interest that may give rise to legal questions or involve policy considerations.”
The DOJ is the mother agency of BuCor.
Guevarra’s advise was aired after BuCor drew public criticisms after it allowed convicted retired Army Maj. Gen. Jovito S. Palparan Jr. to be interviewed last March 30 by National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) Spokesperson Lorraine Badoy and anchor Franco Baranda over SMNI network.
“As you all probably know, the office of the justice secretary is not hard to access,” he assured.
BuCor submitted last April 8 a supplementary report which explained why it allowed Palparan’s interview.
DOJ Undersecretary Deo L. Marco, who has supervision over BuCor, said the reports are now with the DOJ’s technical division for review.
“They attached the missing documents that I required and now includes timelines,” Marco said.
“So pwede na po aralin ngayon ng DOJ (Now it can be studied by the DOJ),” he pointed out.
Palparan is serving a jail term of 40 years at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City for his conviction for the kidnapping and serious illegal detention of University of the Philippines (UP) students Karen Empeno and Sherlyn Cadapan who disappeared in 2006.
The National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL), which served as the private prosecutors for the families of the victims, had demanded the “immediate termination of any other special privileges and treatment currently accorded Maj. Gen. Palparan” and the imposition of “disciplinary sanctions upon officers and personnel of the Bureau of Corrections responsible for violating the Implementing Rules and Manual and giving special privileges and treatment to Maj. Gen. Palparan.”
It said the interview over SMNI network was done “without the knowledge and permission of the Department of Justice or the court where the criminal cases against him are pending.”