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| Photo Courtesy || Gen Bantag, Pres. Marcos |
Cordillera - Igorot General Gerald Bantag will stay as the chief of the Bureau of Correction under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
This was announced by DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla after his meeting with General Bantag.
In 2019, President Duterte appointed Gen. Bantag as BuCor chief replacing Nicanor Faeldon.
Duterte handpicked Gen. Bantag as Director of the bureau because of his vast experience in BJMP.
“But in the meantime, gusto ko siya kasi nagtatapon ng granada daw. Gusto ko ngang magkuha ng santo wala naman, ganun rin. Magkuha ng military, wala. Dito ka sa talagang may experience sa BJMP (In the meantime, I want him in because I heard, he throws grenade. I was looking for a saint but I couldn’t find anyone. I searched the military but none [qualified]. So (I) picked the one with experience in BJMP).
On August 11, 2016, an explosion happened inside an office at the Paranaque City jail when Bantag was then the jail warden. The explosion killed 10 Chinese detainees who had been charged with drug trafficking.
In his 4-year term as BuCor Chief, Bantag has implemented major improvement of the penitentiary which includes the demolition of the makeshift quarter of inmates in the New Bilibid Prison (NPB) and the reduction of drugs being produced in the NPB.
