DOJ chief: Faeldon has yet to accept BuCor post

MANILA, Philippines — It has been a week since it was announced that former Bureau of Customs (BOC) chief Nicanor Faeldon would take over the helm of the Bureau of Corrections but he has yet to report for work, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said yesterday.

“Mr. Faeldon has not assumed office as of today. I will confer with him as soon as he accepts the job and reports for work,” he said.

The BuCor is one of the attached agencies of the Department of Justice.

Guevarra said Assistant Secretary Melvin Ramon Buenafe, BuCor deputy director general for security and operation, has been appointed officer-in-charge of the bureau.                

Guevarra admitted that while President Duterte has named the 53-year-old Faeldon as BuCor chief, there is no guarantee that the former Marine officer would accept the post.

“No one can be compelled to accept any employment,” he said.

Faeldon was chosen by President Duterte to replace retired Philippine National Police chief Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who resigned as BuCor head to run for senator in next year’s mid-term polls.

When he was still a Marine captain, Faeldon was among the military officers who led the 2003 Oakwood mutiny. 

When Duterte ran for president in 2016, Faeldon was one of those who campaigned for him. He was later appointed to head the BOC.

Faeldon resigned from the BOC after he was accused of pocketing millions of pesos in exchange for allowing P6.4 billion worth of shabu to slip out of the Manila International Container Port.

Faeldon was then transferred to the Office of Civil Defense as its deputy administrator for operations.