A total of 5,113 jail officer aspirants took the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) Entry Level Examination (EnLex) on Saturday, Feb. 11.
“This represents 91.06 percent of the expected 5,615 registered examinees in various examination centers across the country,’’ the BJMP said in a statement on Sunday, Feb. 12..
Based on the BJMP Directorate for Personnel and Records Management data, there are 17,362 Jail Officer 1 (JO1) aspirants who have submitted their applications this year who are mostly registered criminologists, teachers and nurses.
But pursuant to Republic Act (RA) 11131, registered criminologists who passed the initial medical examinations are exempted to take the EnLex, as well as, those who reapplied and have already taken the said exam.
BJMP chief Jail Director Allan Iral commended all the administering personnel for the successful conduct of EnLex this year.
“We are happy that a lot of young professionals are looking at the jail profession as a good career track in the government service,” Iral said.
This year, the BJMP needs an additional 2,000 JO1 to beef up its forces in safeguarding over 129,000 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) in the 478 district, city, and municipal jails nationwide.
“The mass hiring is essential to provide quality jail management service towards a more rehabilitative facility for our PDL,” he added.
To gain entry as JO1 in the BJMP, the applicant must pass the neuro-psychiatric examination, medical examination, drug test, and strength and agility test to determine his or her physical and mental health.
The applicant must also possess a baccalaureate degree and an appropriate second-level eligibility; must not be less than 21 or more than 30 years of age; at least 5 feet and 2 inches for males and 5 feet for females; and must not be less or more than 5kg from the standard weight corresponding to his or her height, age, and gender.
The BJMP entry level examination is a competitive test composed of general information, mathematics, basic english and grammar, sentence arrangement and paragraph completion, and essay. (Chito A. Chavez)