Faeldon on Duterte's order to resign: I bow to my president's command

MANILA, Philippines (Update 3, 8:45 p.m.) — Embattled Bureau of Corrections chief on Wednesday said that he would follow the order of President Rodrigo Duterte to step down immediately from his post. 

"My commander-in-chief/appointing authority has spoken. I am a marine and a marine does as he is told. I most humbly bow to my commander-in-chief's order without any hard feelings," said Faeldon's camp on Twitter.

Official Statement of Nicanor E. Faeldon

"My commander-in-chief/appointing authority has spoken. I am a marine and a marine does as he is told. I most humbly bow to my commander-in-chief's order without any hard feelings."

— Team Faeldon (@FaeldonLegal) September 4, 2019

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier demanded the resignation of BuCor chief Nicanor Faeldon amid the release of heinous crimes convicts. 

Duterte also asked the Office of the Ombudsman to conduct an investigation on BuCor in relation to the implementation of the controversial Good Conduct Time Allowance Law.

“Ito, I decided late last night and my orders are: one, that I am demanding the resignation of Faeldon immediately. Second, that I am calling for an investigation to be handled by the ombudsman,” Duterte said in a press briefing on Wednesday.

Duterte cited that Faeldon has to go because the BuCor chief "disobeyed" his order.

According to Duterte, his former aide, now Sen. Christopher Go informed him that there’s a problem because they learned that high profile inmates were released.

The president said that he has no replacement for Faeldon yet.

Asked if he would transfer the sacked official to another agency, Duterte replied in jest: “Tanungin mo siya kung saan niya gusto.”

The president reiterated that had Faeldon only followed his “no release order,” there would be no problem.

Duterte added that Faeldon tried to justify the release of convicts by showing him computations under the GCTA law.

Calls for Faeldon’s resignation surfaced after he allowed the release of heinous crimes convicts.

Documents also showed that the BuCor chief signed the release order of convicted rapist-murderer Antonio Sanchez who was sentenced seven life-terms.

This is not the first time Faeldon was dragged into a controversy.

In 2017, Faeldon was tagged in the P6.4 billion shabu shipment that slipped past the Bureau Customs which he then chaired.

He resigned as Customs chief but was reappointed as the deputy administrator of the Office of Civil Defense.

Faeldon was also reappointed to the Bureau of Corrections in October 2018.