BuCor Fires Two Prison Superintendents — The Leyte Regional Prison and Women's Correctional Facility Heads Are Under Investigation
The Bureau of Corrections dropped the hammer on Friday, relieving two prison superintendents from their posts amid ongoing investigations into their conduct — the latest shakeup under BuCor Director General Gregorio Catapang's watch.
Out are Ricardo Sespene Jr., superintendent of the Leyte Regional Prison, and Marjorie Ann Sanidad, head of the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW). Both were quietly pulled from their leadership positions and reassigned to less prominent roles within the bureau.
Sespene will be transferred to the BuCor Land Control and Management Center's Anti-Squatting Unit — a significant demotion from running an entire regional prison. Sanidad, meanwhile, will be assigned to the New Bilibid Prison Hospital. Neither the specific allegations nor the details of the investigations were disclosed.
Catapang framed the moves as necessary to maintain public trust. 'The change of leadership aims to ensure that the correction facilities continue to uphold its twin-mandate of safekeeping and reformation while maintaining public trust and confidence,' he said in a statement.
The BuCor chief added that the reassignments were designed to 'bolster BuCor's effectiveness in managing correctional facilities and responding swiftly to emerging challenges.' Translation: something went wrong at both facilities, and leadership had to go. The Philippine prison system has been plagued by overcrowding, corruption, and management issues for decades — these removals suggest Catapang is trying to clean house.
Source: GMA News
