Duterte fires Nicanor Faeldon

as BuCor chief
ANILA, Philippines (4th UPDATE) – President Rodrigo Duterte has fired Bureau of Corrections
(BuCor) chief Nicanor Faeldon amid public outrage over revelations in the Senate hearings on the
Good Conduct Time Allowance law.

"I decided late last night and my orders are, one, that I am demanding the resignation of Faeldon
immediately," Duterte said in a press conference Wednesday night, September 4.

"Faeldon has to go because Faeldon disobeyed my order," said Duterte, to explain his decision.

Duterte said his order to Faeldon and Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra was "no releases until
further orders by higher authority,” given public outcry over the possible early release of rape-slay
convict Antonio Sanchez.

Though Sanchez was never released, Duterte is angry at Faeldon for supposedly still insisting in
public that Sanchez would still be subject to recomputation.

The President wanted Faeldon to “echo” his orders in order to satisfy public clamor.

“Ang problema niya, kinabukasan (The problem is, the next day), he came up with a statement with
his own computation. Kung sinabi lang niya ang sinabi ko, eh di tapos na (If he only said what I said,
it would have been finished),” said Duterte.

“May apoy na nga eh (There was a fire), I was trying to find an extinguisher,” he also said.

Faeldon, however, has been reappointed twice by Duterte, despite figuring in a major drug smuggling
scandal in 2017.

Asked if he would be reappointed once more, Duterte played coy.

"Tanungin n'yo siya kung saan niya gusto pumunta.... Kung sabi niya gusto niya palitan si Secretary
Esperon, eh 'di sabihin mo, 'Usap tayo,'" Duterte said.

(Ask him where he wants to go.... If he says he wants to replace Secretary Esperon, then say, 'Let's
talk.')

Investigate other BuCor officials

Faeldon issued a statement on Wednesday night, more than an hour after the President's
announcement.

"My commander-in-chief/appointing authority has spoken. I am a marine and a marine does as he is

told. I most humbly bow to my commander-in-chief's order without any hard feelings," Faeldon said.
U.S., ASEAN kick off first joint
naval drills
BANGKOK, Thailand (UPDATED) – The United States and ten Southeast Asian countries kicked off
maritime drills on Monday, September 2, as part of a joint exercise extending into the flashpoint South
China Sea with 8 warships, 4 aircraft and more than a thousand personnel.

The first ASEAN-US Maritime Exercise (AUMX) between the regional bloc and Washington will last
for 5 days, starting at the Sattahip Naval Base in Thailand and ending in Singapore.

The drills come at a time of stepped-up US engagement in the region and tensions between Beijing
and Southeast Asian nations over the South China Sea, parts of which are claimed by ASEAN
members Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Co-led by the US and Royal Thai navies, the exercises will stretch into "international waters in
Southeast Asia, including the Gulf of Thailand and South China Sea" before concluding in Singapore,
according to a statement from the US embassy in Bangkok.

"AUMX builds greater maritime security on the strength of ASEAN, the strength of our navy-to-navy
bonds, and the strength of our shared belief in a free and open Indo-Pacific," said Rear Admiral Joey
Tynch, who oversees the US Navy's security cooperation in Southeast Asia.
Ravena emotional as Gilas
Pilipinas suffers yet another
loss
FOSHAN, China – Kiefer Ravena tried to fight back tears after Gilas Pilipinas remained winless in the
FIBA World Cup here following a heart-wrenching 81-84 overtime loss to Angola here on Wednesday,
September 4.

Suffering back-to-back blowout defeats to Italy and Serbia by an average of 52.5 points, the
Philippines was hoping to end the group stage and enter the classification round in Beijing with at
least one victory.

That, though, did not happen as it squandered a three-point lead in the extra period with Angola
capitalizing late for its first win in the tournament.

"It's tough, man. We wanted to win so bad, especially for coach Yeng [Guiao], for the whole team. But
we fell short," an emotional Ravena, his voice cracking, said in a mix of Filipino and English.

"I've never been emotional, you all know me. But we've been under so much criticism that we really
wanted to win this game. But that's what it is – breaks of the game."

Down 12 points in the final quarter, Gilas Pilipinas put on an inspired come-from-behind performance
before hundreds of cheering Filipinos who trooped to the GBA International Sports and Cultural
Center to watch.

While forcing overtime was the easy part, getting the job done was not.

"It would have been the world to us," Ravena said when asked what it would have meant to gift the
Filipinos in attendance and back home a triumph.

"The reason we're so sad because we couldn't make our countrymen happy. It's been tough."

Gilas Pilipinas heads to Beijing on Thursday, September 5, for the classification stage where it will
first face Tunisia. – Rappler.com