The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) has 454 new corrections officers 1 (CO1) who will be fielded in the bureau’s various detention facilities nationwide.
The new officers had their graduation on Friday, June 23, at BuCor’s headquarters in Muntinlupa City.
Among the new graduates, 97 applied at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City; 96 at the Davao Prison and Penal Farm (DPPF) in Davao del Norte; 90 at the Leyte Regional Prison (LRP) in Abuyog, Leyte; 90 at the San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm (SRPPF) in Zamboanga City; 67 at the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm (IPPF) in Palawan; and 15 at the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm (SPPF) in Occidental Mindoro.
It was not known immediately if the new corrections officers will be assigned in detention centers where they applied.
In his message to the new corrections officers, BuCor Director General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr. said: “Umaasa ako pagbubutihin ninyo ang serbisyo ninyo (I expect that you will do your job well).”
“At kung makita ko naman na maganda ang serbisyo ninyo hindi na ako magdadalawang isip kung papaano kayo mapromote (If I see that you are doing good, I will not hesitate to promote you),” Catapang said.
He said he intends to change the organizational setup of BuCor. He did not disclose the change, however.
“Kulang tayo sa opisyal. Madami tayong non-commissioned officers kagaya ninyo (We lack officials. We have non-commissioners like you),” he disclosed.
He said the bureau lacks corrections officers 2, 3, and 4.
He reminded the new officers: “Ako ay may kapangyarihan na isuspinde lahat ng tauhan ng BuCor na ayaw magbago in six months and then tuloy-tuloyan na siya matatanggal sa serbisyo (I have the power to suspend a personnel of the BuCor who refuse to change in six months and, after that, he or she will be removed from service).”
“Kayo na nagsisimula pa lang gandahan ninyo ang record ninyo kasi ‘pag nabahiran na ‘yan mahirap tanggalin ‘yan (You who are just starting should get good records because, if these become tainted, it would be difficult to remove the blemish),” he stressed.
Among the duties and responsibilities of corrections officers are to enforce rules and keep order within jails or prisons, supervise activities of people in custody, inspect facilities to ensure that they meet security and safety standards, conduct searches in the facility, and report on conduct of people in custody.