Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr. has vowed to strengthen efforts to "cleanse the bureau of scalawags" after the arrest of a jail guard who was one of the suspects in the killing of a mother and her son last June.
Corrections Officers 1 Pio Jonathan Eulalio and former person deprived of liberty (PDL) Raymond David Reyes were arrested last week in Cavite for the killings of Christian Razon Ortega and his mother, businesswoman Gloria Razon Ortega of Barangay Baesa, Quezon City.
With their arrest, the two suspects have been charged with robbery with homicide and kidnapping for ransom with homicide.
Eulalio, who was assigned to the Escorting Unit of the National Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City, had been on leave from the service until he was arrested in their rented safehouse in General Trias City in Cavite last July 12, a day after the arrest of Reyes.
Aside from Eulalio and Reyes, two unidentified suspects remain at large.
Catapang said BuCor has been in full and close coordination with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) after Eulalio was identified in the crime.
"We have provided the NBI with the necessary information needed in their investigation, which subsequently led to the arrest of Eulalio. We have sent communication to Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla and informed him of this development on July 13," he said.
"As this developed, I have already suspended Eulalio from the service and eventually dismissed him from the service as there is no place for misfits in the bureau. That is one of the reasons why I am here to cleanse the bureau of scalawags," Catapang added.
At least 23 BuCor personnel have already been dismissed from service since 2022, while 53 were suspended, 21 were reprimanded, and 179 were formally charged with various offenses, he said.
He also said that in order to clean their ranks, the BuCor even hired Dr. Raymund Narag for a series of lectures on principles of effective management seminar to equip corrections officers with knowledge of dealing with PDLs.
At the same time, he said BuCor has created a technical working group for the feasibility study on the establishment of the Philippines Corrections Academy, aside from activating the Directorate for Personnel Education and Training Service (DPETS) and the creation of a Master's Education and Training Program for Junior and Senior Custodial Supervisory Course and program officer basic and advanced courses for custodial.
"Although what happened is an isolated case, I will also push for the strengthening of the monitoring system of released PDLs from correction facilities and work closely with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Department of Labor and Employment and Department of the Interior Local Government for the employment of released PDLs," Catapang said.