INTERIOR Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla has revealed a plan to merge the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) to address inmate congestion rate at jail facilities.
“Our proposal is to combine the BuCor and the BJMP as one to have one system of corrections in this country,” Remulla said on Wednesday afternoon during the celebration of the BJMP’s 34th foundation anniversary.
The BJMP, an agency under the DILG, is supervising 484 district, city and municipal jails throughout the country. These jails are housing inmates with pending cases in court.
BuCor, on the other hand, is under the Department of Justice. It is charged with custody and rehabilitation of offenders who have been sentenced to serve a term of imprisonment.
“That is a proposal. It is a work in progress,” said Remulla.
Remulla assured BJMP personnel that there will be consultations with them on the planned merger.
“Our only aim always is to serve this country better, to make society better, to help the President of the Philippines to make the Philippines a safer Republic,” he also said.
Remulla noted the 296 percent congestion rate at BJMP facilities, which he said is down from the 358 percent rate in 2023 and 314 rate in 2024.
“This institution has a 296 percent congestion rate. It must go down further and further. The only way we can do that is to invest,” he said.
The DILG, in a statement, said the planned integration of the BJMP and BuCor is being studied “following President Marcos Jr’s directive to streamline resources and address jail congestion.
BuCor Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr. conveyed his full support to the proposed integration.
Catapang said the plan is in line with the 2023-2028 Philippine Medium Development Plan to have a unified penological and correctional system to improve the efficiency of the country’s correctional system.
The end goal, he said, is to streamline resources and effectively address the pressing issue of jail congestion.
“This merger of departments is not without precedent,“ he said, as he pointed to international practices where correctional facilities operate under a unified administration, leading to enhanced oversight and resource management.
Catapang also noted that the proposal is a move towards streamlining operations and policies across different correctional facilities and agencies that aims to enhance the administration of justice, making it more efficient and effective in handling offenders and promoting rehabilitation.
He explained that by consolidating the two agencies, the government will create a more cohesive framework for managing correctional facilities.
“This effort not only seeks to optimize operations but also to improve the overall conditions within the penal system, ultimately promoting rehabilitation and reducing recidivism,” he said. – With Ashzel Hachero
