275 BuCor personnel face job loss

MANILA, Philippines — At least 275 personnel of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) are set to lose their jobs for failing to complete the required eligibility and education requirements under the law, despite extensions.

According to the BuCor, Republic Act 10575 or the Bureau of Corrections Act of 2013 mandates the professionalization and upgrading of qualification standards in the appointment of the bureau’s personnel.

BuCor personnel were given five years from the date of the effectivity of the law to obtain the minimum educational qualification and eligibility.

While the law was passed in 2013, the qualification standards were only approved by the Civil Service Commission in 2018, meaning the five-year period lapsed in 2023, the BuCor said.

Since the implementation of the law, the BuCor said 421 personnel were listed for attrition, of whom 41 filed for early retirement while 105 others successfully complied with the requirements of the law. The remaining 275 remain non-compliant, the BuCor said.

According to the bureau, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla had extended the deadline to March 16, considering the COVID pandemic.

BuCor chief Gregorio Catapang Jr. had appealed through two letters to Remulla in October last year and last February, on behalf of the personnel, to further extend the deadline.

However, Remulla declined to suspend the attrition system, saying further suspension “may compromise the overall effectiveness of the attrition system and the commitment to maintaining a qualified and competent workforce within the BuCor.”

With this, Catapang urged the affected personnel to recommend their relatives to apply for jobs at the BuCor, assuring them that they will be accommodated as long as they are qualified.