Two senior officials of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) have been relieved from their positions amidst a pending investigation into the allegations thrown against them.
In a press release on Monday, BuCor said its Director General Gregorio Catapang ordered to remove Geraldo Aro as the officer-in-charge (OIC) Deputy Director General for Administration and Angelina Bautista as OIC-Director for Operations and Head Executive Assistant.
"Catapang said that the investigation will give the two senior officials of BuCor the chance to clear their names and prove their innocence," BuCor said.
BuCor Deputy Director General for Administration Al Perreras has been tasked to conduct an investigation on the allegations against Aro and Bautista.
“I have given Perreras until end of this month to finish his investigation,” Catapang said as quoted by the agency.
The BuCor Direc. Gen. then named individuals who will be taking over the position of the relieved senior officials. Celso Bravo was appointed as OIC-Deputy Director General while Elsa Alabado was tapped as acting director for the administration.
In addition, Catapang also ordered the removal of Aro from his duty as the superintendent of the Davao Prison and Penal Farm (DPPF).
During the hearing of the House Committee on Public Order and Safety on the missing inmate of the New Bilibid Prison last August 3, Chairman and Congressman Dan Fernandez accused Aro of being included in the drug list of the Duterte administration.
He also claimed that Bautista is the owner of the catering service that received P21 million for the food of Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) inmates.