Ex-prison chief faces plunder charge 

THE BUREAU of Corrections has filed several complaints including for plunder and malversation against suspended Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gerald T. Bantag. 

Acting prison chief Gregorio Pio P. Catapang, the complainant, also accused his predecessor of graft before the Department of Justice. Mr. Bantag allegedly conspired with other officials to pocket public funds. 

Mr. Bantag did not immediately reply to a message on Facebook Messenger seeking comment. 

Under the six-page complaint filed on Feb. 3, Mr. Bantag’s supposed misappropriation of public funds started when he created a separate bidding and awards committee for three regional prison projects worth P300 million each and bid out in September 2020. 

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. suspended Mr. Bantag last year after he was accused of ordering the murder of a 63-year-old radio journalist critical of his administration and an inmate at the national penitentiary. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan