MANILA (Updated) -- Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Friday said he would recommend newly appointed Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) head Dionisio Santiago to lead the Bureau of Corrections (Bucor) again.
Santiago, a former Armed Force of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff, served Bucor head in 2003 under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Aguirre made the announcement after BuCor chief Benjamin Delos Santos submitted his irrevocable resignation Thursday, saying the resurgence of illegal drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) made him "irrelevant".
In a statement Friday, Aguirre thanked Delos Santos for leading the agency in the past seven months.
"We thank Gen. De Los Santos for once again serving in the government and we wish him well in all of his future endeavors," Aguirre in a statement said.
Last July 4, Aguirre ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to probe the resurgence of narcotics trading in NBP allegedly caused by Special Action Force contingents linked to corruption activities related to drugs.
The DOJ chief said Delos Santos' resignation letter will be forwarded Friday, July 15, to the Office of the President, the BuCor head appointing authority, for appropriate action.
Meanwhile, Malacañang said the government was thankful that Delos Santos led efforts to push for reforms during his stint as BuCor chief.
"He (Delos Santos) has submitted his resignation. Then, we respect that and we thank him for serving the administration," Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella told Palace reporters
"We're confident that the reform initiatives that he spearheaded under Oplan Pagbabago will continue and we bid him good luck," he added.
De Los Santos, formerly the head of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group is the second official to lead the Bucor in the Duterte administration.
He assumed position last November following the resignation of Bucor officer-in-charge Rolando Asuncion also due to issues related to drugs.
Asuncion was alleged of receiving drug money and a car from a high-profile inmate, to which he denied.
Dionisio, meanwhile, was appointed as DDB chief only last week. Asked if there will be no conflict if he will lead both agencies, Justice Undersecretary Erickson Balmes said they will wait first for the decision of the president on Delos Santos' resignation. (VoxPop Philippines)
