Bureau of Corrections (Philippines)

Organization

It is currently headed by Director General Usec. Gregorio Catapang Jr. The bureau has 2,862 employees, 61% of whom are custodial (uniformed) officers, 33% are non-uniformed personnel and 6% are members of the medical service.

Mandates and Functions

Mandate

Safekeeping and instituting reformation programs to national Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDL's) sentenced to more than 3 years.

Legal Basis

• Reorganization Act 1407 of the Philippine Commission established the Bureau of Prisons on November 1, 1905 under the Department of Public Instruction.
• Administrative Code of 1987 Section 26 renamed the Bureau of Prisons to Bureau of Corrections on November 23, 1989.
• Republic Act No. 10575, otherwise known as the “Bureau of Corrections Act of 2013” which was signed on 24 May 2013, provided for the modernization, professionalization, and restructuring of the Bureau.

Functions

• Safe keep Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) convicted by courts three years and one day and above to serve sentence in prison
• Keep PDLs from committing crimes while in custody
• Provide PDLs basic needs as human beings
• Ensure rehabilitation programs are made available to the PDLs for their physical, intellectual, and spiritual development
• Develop livelihood programs to assist PDLs earn a living and develop their skills while in prison

Leadership

• Commander-in-Chief: President Bongbong Marcos
• Secretary of Justice (SoJ): Atty. Jesus Crispin C. Remulla
• Director-General, Bureau of Corrections (DG, BUCOR): Usec. Gregorio Catapang Jr.
• Deputy Director-General for Administration (DDGA): Corrections Asec. Al I. Perreras
• Deputy Director-General for Security and Operations (DDGSO): Asec. Gil T. Torralba
• Deputy Director-General for Reformation (DDGR): Corrections C/Supt. Celso S. Bravo (OIC)

Command Leadership Structure

• The President of the Philippines as Commander-in-Chief
• The Secretary of Justice
• The Director General of the Bureau of Corrections (DG, BUCOR; with the Rank of Undersecretary donning the 4-Star rank)
• The Deputy Director General for Administration (DDGA; with the Rank of Assistant Secretary donning the 3-Star rank)
• The Deputy Director General for Security and Operations (DDGSO; with the Rank of Assistant Secretary donning the 3-Star rank)
• The Deputy Director General for Reformation (DDGR; with the Rank of Assistant Secretary donning the 3-Star rank)

National Headquarters

• Office of the Director-General
• Office of the Deputy Director-General for Administration
• Office of the Deputy Director-General for Security and Operations
• Office of the Deputy Director-General for Reformation
• BUCOR Directorial Staff

Directorates

• Directorate for Administration
• Directorate for External Relations
• Directorate for Finance and Logistics
• Directorate for Health Service
• Directorate for Planning and Management
• Directorate for Reception Diagnostic
• Directorate for Reformation
• Directorate for Security and Operations
• Directorate for Standards and Development

Support Services

• Contact Center ng Bayan
• Corrections National Training Institute
• BUCOR Business Center
• Public Information Office
• Legal Service
• Internal Affairs Service
• Administrative Division
• Communication and Management Section
• Anti-Red Tape Act Section
• Cashier Section
• Records Section
• Human Resource Division
• General Services Division
• Planning and Statistics Division
• Management Division
• Information and Communications Technology Division
• Budget Division
• Accounting Division
• Supply Division
• Project Management and Doctrine Development Division
• Intelligence and Investigation Division
• Inmate Documents and Processing Division
• Communications and Tactical Operations Division
• Escorting Group
• Education and Training Division
• Moral and Spiritual Division
• Behavior Modification Division
• Inmate Sports and Recreation Division
• Work and Livelihood Division
• Assessment and Program Monitoring Division
• Case Management Division
• External Affairs Division

Mission

TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC BY SAFEKEEPING AND REFORMING PERSONS UNDER OUR CUSTODY ADHERING TO INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS OF CORRECTIONS SERVICE.

Vision

A safer society by 2028 through reformed persons reintegrated by a highly efficient and competent corrections service.

Units

The Bureau of Corrections currently have 7 operating units located nationwide:

• Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong / and The CIW Mindanao, Santo Tomas, Davao del Norte
• New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa
  • Maximum Security Compound
  • Minimum Security Compound
  • Medium Security Compound
• Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Occidental Mindoro
• Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan
• Leyte Regional Prison in Abuyog, Leyte
• San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm in Zamboanga City
• Davao Prison and Penal Farm in Braulio E. Dujali, Davao del Norte

Ranks

Main article: Police ranks of the Philippines

The following ranks are in force in the BuCor. While the Bureau forms part of the Department of Justice, its ranks follow those of the uniformed services in the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Commissioned Officers

• Corrections Director General (Undersecretary)
• Corrections Deputy Director General for Administration (Assistant Secretary)
• Corrections Deputy Director General for Security and Operations (Assistant Secretary)
• Corrections Deputy Director General for Reformation (Assistant Secretary)
• Corrections Chief Superintendent (Brig. General)
• Corrections Senior Superintendent (Colonel)
• Corrections Superintendent (Lt. Col.)
• Corrections Chief Inspector (Major)
• Corrections Senior Inspector (Captain)
• Corrections Inspector (Lieutenant)

Non- Commissioned Officers

• Corrections Senior Officer 4 (Executive Master Sergeant)
• Corrections Senior Officer 3 (Chief Master Sergeant)
• Corrections Senior Officer 2 (Senior Master Sergeant)
• Corrections Senior Officer 1 (Master Sergeant)
• Corrections Officer 3 (Staff Sergeant)
• Corrections Officer 2 (Corporal)
• Corrections Officer 1 (Private)

Rank system until 1992

While the BuCor reports to the Department of Justice, in the past it sported a military rank system mirroring the former Integrated National Police and therefore similar to the Chilean Gendarmerie and the Italian Corpo degli Agenti di Custodia. Until 1989 officers and agents sported "Prisons" in their rank title.

History

Spanish colonial era

The Old Bilibid Prison which was located on Oroquieta Street in Manila was established in 1847 and by a Royal Decree formally opened on April 10, 1866. On August 31, 1870, the San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm was established in Zamboanga City for Muslim and political prisoners opposed to the rule of Spain.

American colonial era

The Iuhit penal Settlement now known as Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm was established in 1904 by the Americans in 28,072 hectares of land. The land areas expanded to 40,000 hectares in the late 1950s. and expanded again to 41,007 hectares by virtue of Executive Order No. 67 issued by Governor Newton Gilbert on October 15, 1912.

The Bureau of Prisons was created under the Reorganization Act of 1905 as an agency under the Department of Commerce and Police. The Reorganization Act also re-established the San Ramon Prison in 1907 which was destroyed during the Spanish–American War in 1898. The prison was placed under the Bureau of Prisons and receive prisoners in Mindanao.

The Correctional Institution for Women was founded on November 27, 1929, by virtue of Act No. 3579 as the first and only prison for women in the Philippines. Later, on January 21, 1932, the bureau opened the Davao Penal Colony in Southern Mindanao.

The New Bilibid Prison was established in 1935 in Muntinlupa due to the increased rate of prisoners.

Contemporary era

Proclamation No. 72 issued on September 26, 1954, established the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Occidental Mindoro, and the Leyte Regional Prison was established on January 16, 1973, under Proclamation No. 1101.

The Administrative Code of 1987 and Proclamation No. 495, issued on November 22, 1989, changed the agency's name to the current Bureau of Corrections from Bureau of Prisons.

List of Director Generals

Logo

The logo of the bureau represents the government agency's mandate, the rehabilitation of inmate. The logo focuses on the man in prison as the main concern of rehabilitation. It presents man behind bars, but who looks outwards with the hope of rejoining the free community. The 7 rays of the sun represent the 7 operating prisons and penal farms who carry out the reformation programs of the bureau. The color green symbolizes hope. The color orange is symbolic of happiness. The bar of justice represents the Philippine justice system.

Capital punishment

Main article: Capital punishment in the Philippines

When the Philippines had the death penalty, male inmates condemned to death were held at New Bilibid Prison and female inmates condemned to death were held at Correctional Institution for Women (Mandaluyong). The death chamber for inmates to be electrocuted was in Building 14, within the Maximum Security Compound of New Bilibid. The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Museum previously served as the lethal injection chamber.

References

References

1. [[Department of Budget and Management]]. "Staffing Summary Fiscal Year 2024".
2. [https://dbm.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/GAA/GAA2023/VolumeI/DOJ/B.pdf GAA 2023] {{Webarchive. link. (March 30, 2023 dbm.gov.ph)
3. "BuCor chief suspended as questions linger on 'middleman' in Lapid slay".
4. (2013). "Mga Pangalan ng Tanggapan ng Pamahalaan sa Filipino". Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino.
5. "Department of Justice".
6. "[http://www.bucor.gov.ph/bucorweb/main/about.htm About the Bureau of Corrections] {{Webarchive. link. (2009-10-05 ." Bureau of Corrections. Retrieved on October 2, 2010. "Bureau of Corrections NBP Reservation, Muntinlupa, Philippines.")
7. (15 June 2021). "Mandates and Functions". Bureau of Corrections.
8. Fernandez, Daniza. (March 24, 2023). "Gregorio Catapang permanently appointed as BuCor director general".
9. "Bureau of Corrections".
10. Araneta, Sandy. (October 22, 2001). "1,020 death convicts await execution". [[The Philippine Star]].
11. Torres-Tupas, Tetch. (July 15, 2015). "DOJ drawing list of inmates to occupy death chamber-turned-prison". [[Philippine Daily Inquirer]].