BuCor OIC to personnel: Cheer up, never ‘surrender to our sorry state’

MANILA, Philippines – Although the public perception of the Bureau of Correction (BuCor) is “grossly devastating,” Assistant Secretary and BuCor Officer-in-Charge Melvin Ramon G. Buenafe told its personnel that it was not the time to “feel depressed and surrender to our sorry state.”

“It is not a cause for us to find fault and blame anybody for this mess; nor is it justified for us to take vengeance, or to just be complacent,” he said.

Rallying the BuCor employees, Buenafe said although they are already at the “bottom of the pit,” there is nowhere to go but up.

“Let’s rise up from where we have fallen; let us take this opportunity to reflect on making a big leap towards a positive change, individually and collectively and be counted towards a common goal of a transformed BuCor,” he said.

BuCor has been embroiled in a controversy about the premature release of convicts because of good conduct time allowance (GCTA).

During the Senate inquiry, several anomalies were also uncovered including GCTA and hospital pass for a price, smuggling of goods and even prostitution.

Buenafe said BuCor was not new to controversies but the result of the Senate hearing was “grossly devastating,” especially to the morale of people from BuCor.

He reminded the employees of their suspended colleagues, those detailed at the Senate as well as the ex-convicts who heeded the call of President Rodrigo Duterte, to stress on the need to act appropriately and fast in complying with the documents required by investigating bodies.

“This has exacerbated the already problematic condition of our inadequate shelters and facilities,” he said.

“We cannot be complacent or apathetic, we need to volunteer our talents and skills and participate in whatever way we can to contribute to the accomplishment of the job we need to perform. Let us all be united and take the heed of the time-honored dictum: united we stand, divided we fall,” he said.

He said those BuCor personnel who has no role in preparing the documents required by other government agencies should pray that they will soon see the end of the controversy./ac

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