MANILA — The Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed additional charges of plunder, graft, malversation of public funds, grave misconduct, and dishonesty against suspended Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gerald Bantag over allegedly misused funds for prison facilities in Davao, Palawan. , and Leyte.
Aside from Bantag, DOJ also filed the same charges against 5 other BuCor officials: C/Insp. Ric Rocabura, CO1 Solomon Areniego, CTO1 Jor-el de Jesus, CTO2 Angelo Castillo, and and CTO Alexis Catindig.
According to a DOJ document dated Feb. 4, Bantag and the other charged officials were allegedly complicit in the “unlawful and malicious falsification of official documents that resulted in the misappropriation” of BuCor funds intended for the construction of facilities at the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, the Davao Prison and Penal Farm, and the Leyte Regional Prison.
“They knowingly connived with, and/or consented to the commission of violation of laws, rules, and regulations that resulted in the loss of government funds,” the document read.
“Such dishonest acts of altering, concealing or distorting the truth on [matters] relevant to their office, or connected with the performance of their duties, caused serious damage and grave prejudice to the government and the same constitute,” it added.
Acting prisons chief Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. and his legal team led the filing of the said charges.
As of writing, Bantag’s camp and his co-accused have yet to comment on the matter.
The new charges come as the embattled BuCor chief continues to face murder raps over the killing of broadcaster Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa and New Bilibid Prison inmate Jun Villamor, who was tagged as a “middle man” in Mabasa’s slay.
He had previously been tagged as the alleged mastermind in the broadcaster’s murder.
Bantag’s successor Catapang himself had said that his predecessors “failed” in their mission to protect the welfare of inmates following Villamor’s death.
Last January, Bantag was also facing another complaint after 5 officials from the Iwahig prison accused him of torture that happened in 2020.
—with report from Johnson Manabat, ABS-CBN News
Source: ABS-CBN News