LAWYER Jay de Castro took his oath of office yesterday as deputy director general of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), a post that had been vacant for nearly three years after Melvin Buenafe resigned in 2019.
De Castro took his oath before Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra at the latter’s office at the Department of Justice main building in Manila.
The BuCor which supervises seven penal colonies in the country, including the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City, is one of the agencies attached to the DOJ.
Guevarra said De Castro will be responsible for reformation activities of inmates in his position.
“Atty. Jay de Castro is a whiff of fresh air in the BuCor. He was in private law practice for a long time, specializing in labor-management cases. He was also a passionate anti-crime crusader, especially focusing on illegal drugs,” Guevarra said.
Guevarra also said De Castro worked with him and Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea in the PECABAR law firm in the 1980s and his legal experience would be of great help to the BuCor.
On Wednesday, Malacañang confirmed the appointment of Gerald Bantag as BuCor director general.
Though Bantag was designated as BuCor Director General in 2019 to replace Nicanor Faeldon, he was only on secondment from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, said presidential spokesman Martin Andanar.
Faeldon was sacked by President Duterte for failure to comply with the latter’s order to stop the release of heinous crime convicts.
