FOR the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), December of 2022 was a month to remember after it “collared” a number of feats and recognitions good enough to carry the “luck” over while welcoming the next year.

A lady jail personnel made history at the 19th International Practical Shooting Confederation held in Thailand; another one set a new record in the Philippine backyard ultra-marathon; while a district jail was recognized by the Commission on Human Rights along with a male official for upholding the rights of persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) under their care during the International Human Rights Day.

J/Chief Insp. Crystalene Gonzales was a member of a team of shooters sent to compete in Thailand, where they captured a historical close second to Italy in the Team Production Division Lady Category.

On the athletics, J/Insp. Ryan Yvan Dane Pawid “arrested” the Philippine record in the backyard marathon, where he set a new record by completing 22 loops in an hour run or 147.4 km in the 2022 Jingle Balls Backyard Ultra held at the trails of Camp John Hay in Baguio City.

The previous record for the Philippines was 21 loops in one hour (140.7 km.).

Backyard ultramarathon is a form of ultramarathon race where competitors must consecutively run 6,706 meters (6.701 km) in less than one hour.

These loops are repeated hourly. There is no predefined finish. The competitor who completes the loop that no other competitors have completed will be declared the winner.

On the eve of the International Human Rights Day celebration, the CHR recognized the Guagua District Jail, the prestigious “Gawad Gabay Karapatan” award for its remarkable contributions to human rights policy, particularly in ensuring humane safekeeping and development of the PDLs.

While inspecting various BJMP-supervised facilities, the CHR also acknowledged the notable deeds of Supt. Roque Constantino Sison III of Dagupan City Jail Male Dormitory for his programs on human rights abuse and violations prevention.

For this feat, Sison received a Gawad Bantay Karapatan award.

BJMP chief Director Allan Iral said; “Ang buong kawanihan ng BJMP ay lubos na nagagalak sa tagumpay na nakamit ng Guagua District Jail at ni Superintendent Sison sa kakatapos lamang na 2022 Gawad Karapatang Pantao ng Commission on Human Rights.”

In commending marathoner Pawid, Iral said, “It takes strong discipline and grit for such feat kaya nakakabilib talaga.”

“When it comes to fitness, seryoso talaga kami kasi hindi puwedeng mas mabilis o malakas pa sa amin yung mga PDL na binabantayan namin,” the BJMP chief added.

And for his message to shooter Gonzales, Iral said, “We are proud that one of our BJMP officers became a member of the Philippine Team and won in this global shooting competition.”

The IPSC is the world’s largest shooting sport association and host to the biggest practical shooting events in the world.