Marcos names Catapang as new BuCor chief

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has named Gregorio Catapang Jr. as the new director general of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), according to appointment papers shared by the Department of Justice (DOJ).
 
“The Department would like to express its full support to the new Director General of the Bureau of Corrections in his endeavor,” the DOJ said in a statement on Friday.
 
“Together, we will pursue the planned projects and programs for the betterment of the bureau and the welfare of our PDLs (persons deprived of liberty),” it added.

JUST IN: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. officially appoints Gregorio Catapang Jr. as director general of the Bureau of Corrections @gmanews @gmanewsbreaking pic.twitter.com/8Shop66DFa

— Joahna Lei Casilao (@joahnacasilao) March 24, 2023

A retired military chief, Catapang replaced former BuCor head Gerald Bantag.

Prior to this appointment, Catapang had been serving as officer-in-charge of the BuCor since October 2022, when Bantag was suspended following the death of Jun Villamor, the inmate who allegedly acted as the middleman in the killing of broadcaster Percy Lapid.
 
Bantag was recently indicted for the killing of Lapid and Villamor. — VBL, GMA Integrated News