Editor’s note: The 831 examinees who passed the penology officer’s test last week may be needed by DoJ, as noted by the author.)

MANILA, Philippines — In the 1960s one maverick official – less than a Cabinet rank – mesmerized his café audience with an “effective plan” to get rid of some or all government crooks. Agencies where a hoard of incorrigible employees and officials have firm and long addiction to theft of tax money  for years “should be listed” according to records of corruption in the last 10 years.

Ruthless plan

Guests/regulars at the coffee shop were all ears. They could hear a pin drop as the maverick bureaucrat outlined his plan which he called surefire.  The plan would need a list of personnel with pending cases – for corruption – in all offices and departments.

His plan of ruthlessness recommended the following:  1) Invite 500 of those well-known for crookedness to join a cruise to Corregidor, 2) plant a tiny time bomb in each bunk, and 3) explode the bombs without hurting a crew member.

Just a reminder

The bomb was not meant to kill or disable the crooks but to remind them of their role of uselessness in the bureaucracy.  Those who nodded lopsidedly outnumbered those who shook their heads in disagreement.

The cruise formula may be discussed seriously and recommended for adoption to invite all personnel of BuCor tainted with all kinds of mischief, deceit, trickery, etc., to include those who deny that the omerta code (deafening silence) does not cover them.

Total reform needed

Reforms at BuCor, short of total/complete, won’t work especially for personnel with 10 to 30 years of continuous service in Munti. The so-called reforms should also apply to all wardens/personnel of all jails – provincial, city, and municipal.  We are referring to prisoners, convicts, and detainees by the thousands.

There’s no need to call witnesses by the dozens. Recording, evaluating, deciding, and telling truth from half-truths and lies may take months or even years.

New rules but few

What the present prison system needs are new and few rules that are easy to obey and remember.  Recommendations and regulations consisting of 20 to 50 pages, legal size, are hard to implement and easy to forget.  Reforms are intended to be followed, but human nature can also resist any change not to its liking.

Like birth control

It’s like asking a gin, beer, or tuba addict to practice family planning and birth control according to the Ten Commandments after sunset. The natural method won’t do; it is against human nature.

Sari-sari stores

Any new prison rule/reform needs enforcement/compliance in full and nothing less.  In Munti there are reports of sari-sari stores selling long lists of items within the prison walls.  This is a practice of proven convenience to employees, guards/supervisors, and visitors but is clearly against prison rule.

New penology officers

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) announced last week that 831 examinees passed the penology officer’s test given last March 20.  Of this number 691 were males and 140 females. The passing percentage can be called low: 34.07 of the 2,439 who took the exams.

Those who passed are eligible for second level ranks in jail and penology and functionally related services, according to CSC-DoJ may need to consider the new penology eligibles for employment in lieu of the “old boys/girls” who have controlled the prison system for 10 to 30 years without fully reforming 100 prisoners of the countless thousands at Munti.

Plantilla first

First, let’s take a closer look at the prison plantilla.  Are all personnel at Munti CSC eligibles in penology?  It helps if prison employees have basic familiarity with the principles and lessons in penology. The younger eligibles who are not aware of prison shenanigans will definitely acquire a new idealism for a thorough reform and not just replacing a few old employees who fully disregard the modern principles  of penology.

Libraries in Munti?

In the more progressive countries, the buildings that house prisoners have the basic needs for a clean living in their cells.

Prisoners who want to read have easy access to libraries and their stock of new books and publications. There are stories in the US of prisoners who study law to protest an unfair verdict of guilt, especially those convicted without counsel. (Comments are welcome at roming@pefianco.com).