Gregorio Catapang Jr

As acting director general of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), Gregorio Catapang Jr. had the task of investigating possible irregularities in the prison system during the term of his predecessor, Gerald Bantag. These included the alleged torture of five officers in the Iwahig penal farm in Palawan, and the mysterious excavation inside the New Bilibid Prison compound. Also uncovered more recently was Bantag’s supposed endorsement of P300 million in unauthorized advance payments for unfinished prison projects. Catapang’s latest find was the P300,000 in GCash funds that BuCor guards had trouble explaining as to who really owned them. Reports said the guards were taking cuts from cash transfers intended for prisoners and sent by their relatives via the mobile wallet app. Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla last week announced that Catapang, a retired Armed Forces chief of staff, would now be the permanent BuCor chief. He took over the bureau in October last year after Bantag was slapped with a 90-day suspension for his alleged involvement in the murder of broadcaster Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa.