‘Supportive’ PNP, BJMP deploy over 300 personnel to BuCor

Over 300 men from the Philippine National Police and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) have been deployed to the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) to ensure that its new chief would succeed in his campaign to wipe out corruption at the national penitentiary in Muntinlupa City.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said on Thursday that the additional personnel were a show of support for BuCor chief Gerald Bantag “in his mission to institute significant reforms [at] the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).”

He added that the PNP chief, Police Gen. Oscar Albayalde, and BJMP director Allan Iral immediately acted on Bantag’s request for the deployment of police and jail officers to BuCor “to help him implement the much-needed reforms that the President [had] personally directed.”

As part of the augmentation force to the Bucor, the BJMP deployed 110 jail personnel, including 24 officers from its special tactics and response team. There were also 195 PNP Special Action Force troopers composed of 13 police commissioned officers and 192 non-commissioned officers.

Año explained that they would fill up posts temporarily vacated by BuCor officers linked to alleged irregularities. Over 300 corrections officers were being investigated as part of Mr. Duterte’s directive to revamp the bureau.