Senator Bato Dela Rosa expressed high hopes that the alleged illegal practices in the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) will be fixed through serious and focused management and political will as he stressed that the agency has always been least prioritized in terms of funding.
Dela Rosa made the statement amid the ongoing investigations by both Houses of Congress on the alleged irregularities in the bureau where he once served as director general.
“Kung seryosohin talaga may paraan diyan… let us not blame the system, let us not blame the environment, let’s not blame the people running the system, political will lang kung seryosohin mo talagang magbabago yan, bakit hindi,” the legislator said.
“During my time as prisons chief, all the PDLs including the notorious drug lords abide by my management rules and directives.”
The lawmaker said that during his time as BuCor chief, all the Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) or inmates, including notorious drug lords, followed his management rules and directives.
“I have observed that during my time, [as BuCor chief] noong ako ay umupo doon.
“The bureau has always been the last priority in the allocation of funds.”
Sabi ko nga dito sa BuCor ngayon walang ibang siga. Kung sanay kayong mga drug lord kayo na kayo ang siga, ngayon ako ang siga kaya sumunod kayo sa akin. Ganun lang ka-simple… sumunod naman din sila,” the senator said.
He added that the bureau has always been the last priority in the allocation of funds, a factor that could have resulted to its present status.
“Ang malungkot dito, ang BuCor napapansin lang nila kapag meron lang issue, may problema pero kung walang problema, tahimik [at] maganda pagpapatakbo sa BuCor wala yan. Ang BuCor ang pinaka-last priority sa pondo ng gobyerno kasi ang attitude ng ating mga mababatas eh bakit ninyo i-priority sa pondo yang BuCor na yan… mga latak ng lipunan yang mga tao dyan,” Dela Rosa said.
The Senate has been conducting a series of investigation to ferret out the truth behind the alleged irregularities and illegal practices inside the BuCor.
The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee and the Committee on Justice are in the process of completing their committee report on the issues.