275 ‘unqualified’ BuCor employees face axe

At least 275 Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) workers are bound to lose their jobs this month after they failed to comply with eligibility and education requirements under the law.

BuCor Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr. said in a statement that affected workers could recommend their relatives as their replacement, adding that he would try to accommodate them only if they were qualified for the posts they were applying for.

Republic Act No. 10575, or the Bureau of Corrections Act of 2013, requires bureau personnel to obtain the minimum educational qualification and eligibility necessary for their posts to professionalize its ranks and upgrade its appointment standards.

The qualification standards and implementing rules and regulations of RA 10575 were approved by the Civil Service Commission only in 2018, five years after the law was passed. Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla already extended for a year the five-year deadline lapsed on March 16 last year, BuCor said in a statement.

Appeal denied

Catapang tried to appeal to Remulla to give the affected workers some consideration, citing the effects of the pandemic and also in recognition of their “immense contribution,” but the latter insisted on the law’s implementation.

“While the Department understands the difficulties suffered by the personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is essential to strike a balance between the exigencies of the service and the need to uphold the statutory requirements provided under RA 10575,” Remulla was quoted as saying in the statement.

READ: 300 unqualified BuCor workers face termination

According to him, the one-year extension was given to allow affected employees to meet the prescribed standards. Extending the deadline further “may compromise the overall effectiveness of the attrition system and the commitment to maintaining a qualified and competent workforce within the BuCor,” Remulla said.