Manila, May 17 -- The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) on Friday assured transparency in the investigation launched by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on prison strip searches on visitors of persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).

In a statement BuCor Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr. debunked claims by militant groups of a possible whitewash in the investigation of strip searches on female visitors of inmates at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) .

"The Commission on Human Rights, they are at the forefront of this investigation, so how can there be a possibility of whitewash? Let us stick to the facts and not muddle and politicize the issue," he said.

"We submitted to this investigation to prove that we have nothing to hide, in fact, we ...