Año names Iral as BJMP officer-in-charge

DILG Secretary Eduardo Año (left) and Jail Chief Supt. Allan Iral (right). Photo from Bureau of Jail Management and Penology

MANILA, Philippines — Jail deputy chief for administration Chief Supt. Allan Iral on Wednesday became officer-in-charge (OIC) of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).

Iral replaced Jail Director Deogracias Tapayan, who retired from service after being BJMP chief for almost two years.

The appointment of Iral was ordered by Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, according to a BJMP press statement.

Iral, a member of the Philippine National Police Academy “Sandigan” Class of 1994, is the most senior official of the BJMP and is “highly regarded as the most competent executive of the bureau to succeed the outgoing chief,” the BJMP statement read.

In his acceptance message, Iral has ordered the 13,000-strong jail officer and personnel to ensure that all jail units are free from illegal drugs and corruption.

“To my colleagues in the profession, the cause of the office we hold demands that we dispose of our functions in utmost integrity,” he said.

Before assuming the BJMP OIC post, Iral was director of BJMP’s Personnel Management and Human Resource office, and Logistics office. He also served as BJMP’s regional director in Central Visayas and Davao.

He was also part of the BJMP Command Group — from Chief of Directorial Staff, Deputy Chief for Operations, to Deputy Chief for Administration and now as BJMP head.

“An accomplished officer, he is a recipient of Lakan Distinguished Award, the highest award for PNPA Alumni, Senior Officer of the Year and Junior Officer of the Year, the most coveted national award in the BJMP among staff officers, the City Jail of the Year during his stint as Warden of Davao City Jail and Regional Office of the Year during his tenure as Regional Director of BJMP Region XI and VII,” the BJMP statement said. /kga