Lawmaker: Bucayu ‘lying or incompetent’

MANILA, Philippines - Bureau of Corrections director Franklin Bucayu should be fired for allowing the special treatment of high-profile prisoners in the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) to take place under his nose, Sen. Sergio Osmeña III said yesterday.

Osmeña said he is certain there was collusion between the officials in charge of the prisons and the inmates because what was seen by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima there during her inspection could not have taken place without the knowledge of the officials.

“He’s lying or he’s very incompetent. In either case, he should be fired,” Osmeña said of Bucayu. 

“I think De Lima should file charges against all officials who used to be there if you can prove how long these facilities have been in place,” he added.

Osmeña said that the best solution to the issue is to clean up the ranks of the BuCor because “if you still have dishonest people in place, these privileges will still happen.” 

Sen. Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, for his part, said that “heads must roll, including those of top prison officials, for making a mockery of the country’s justice system.”

Sen. Francis Escudero is seeking a top-to-bottom reorganization of the BuCor before the implementation of Republic Act 10575, the newly minted BuCor modernization law.

“Replacing the head is not enough. That has been done several times before and it did not work,” he said.

Bucayu said a revamp was scheduled this month to cover the maximum, medium and minimum security compounds in the prison.

Senate opens death penalty debate anew

The Senate started discussions yesterday on a proposed measure filed by Sen. Vicente Sotto III that seeks to impose the death penalty on high-profile criminals, including drug traffickers.

The Senate committees on justice and human rights, and on constitutional amendments started the debate a few weeks ahead of Pope Francis’ visit.

Several groups, including the Philippine Human Rights Information Center, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines and Amnesty International, manifested their opposition to Senate Bill 2080.

Sotto argued that the penalty of life imprisonment failed to deter criminals. He said the recent discovery of special treatment given to drug lords also prompted the senator to intensify his call for the re-imposition of the death penalty. – Marvin Sy, Christina Mendez