Duterte Fires Philippine Prisons Chief Who Freed Convicts

(Bloomberg) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte fired prisons chief Nicanor Faeldon after public outcry over the early release of some high-profile convicts.

Duterte also ordered some 1,700 former prisoners whose time in jail were cut short to surrender to authorities within 15 days. He likewise called on the Ombudsman to probe corruption allegations in the prisons bureau.

“I am angry. I want to kill them all, but there’s no opportunity to do so,” Duterte said in a televised briefing.

Faeldon, in Senate hearings this week, said his decisions on the freed convicts are aboveboard.

Two years ago, Duterte also asked Faeldon to quit as Customs chief after 6.4 billion pesos of crystal meth slipped through the agency.

To contact the reporter on this story: Andreo Calonzo in Manila at acalonzo1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Cecilia Yap at cyap19@bloomberg.net

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.