SOME 454 trainees for the Corrections Basic Recruit Course graduated today at the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), making them eligible for deployment in the seven operating prisons and penal farms of the bureau.

The graduation ceremony for Class 20-2022, also known as MANDATOS, which stands for “Mananatiling May Dangal at Tapat sa Organisasyon at Serbisyo,” was held at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) parade ground with BuCor Director General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr., as keynote speaker.

Addressing the graduates, Catapang said “Kayo ang pag-asa ng BuCor at kayo rin ang tagapagmana nito kaya ayusin nyo ang serbisyo sa pamamagitan ng serbisyong may disiplina at dignidad. Gusto ko may disiplina kayo kasi part yan ng training n’yo at dahil bayad yan ng suweldo nyo na galing sa pera ng taong bayan.”

Catapang said the BuCor is in the “reform mode,” meaning “we are not only reforming persons of deprived of liberty (PDL) but also our very own personnel, and non-uniform personnel and we have five years to do it.”

The bureau has many challenges starting with structural. Although the BuCor has a lot of properties, it lacks facilities which resulted in congestion of PDLs, Catapang told the graduates.

He added that they are also facing organizational problems due to a lack of qualified personnel.

“That is why, as long as you are qualified, from Corrections Officer 1, I will not hesitate to promote you in six months’ time to CO2 to fill up our shortages for CO2 until you reach the position of CO4,” Catapang added, citing the needed for good leaders to lead the bureau which has been neglected for so many years.

The graduates were originally composed of 500 recruits, but only 454 completed the training and were from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

They are composed of licensed criminologists, teachers, nurses, social workers, engineers, agriculturists, nutritionists, rad technicians, pharmacists, customs brokers, psychometricians, two architects, five graduates of Bachelor in Forestry, two graduates of Bachelor in Accountancy, a graduate of Bachelor in Fisheries and a graduate of Bachelor in Law. Among them are 15 who graduated cum laude.

Catapang was assisted by Gen. Ali Perreras, AFP (Ret.), BuCor OIC (Officer-in-Charge), Deputy Director General for Administration, and J/CINSP Florencio R. Orillosa (Ret.), Acting Director, Corrections National Training Institute, awarded Certificates of Completion and Recognition to the graduates. By JOSEPH MUEGO

AUTHOR PROFILE

People's Tonight