CHIZ SEEKS TOP-TO-BOTTOM REVAMP OF BUCOR

Senator Chiz Escudero is seeking a top-to-bottom reorganization of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) before the implementation of the newly minted modernization law amid the alleged connivance between high-profile inmates and custodial personnel in illegal activities inside the penal facilities that were made public yesterday.

According to Escudero, the revamp should be carried out prior to the full implementation of the modernization law in order to pave the way for the much-needed upgrading of the penal agency's facilities and increase in salaries of prison personnel.

"Replacing the head is not enough. That has been done several times before and it did not work," Escudero said.

Escudero, one of the principal authors of the Republic Act 10575, or the Bureau of Corrections Act of 2013, emphasized that the BuCor should not condone the unlawful actions and suspected collusion of jail guards and inmates, and should immediately put a stop to the special treatment given to some prisoners.

The luxurious lifestyles of some 19 high-profile inmates in the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) were exposed yesterday during a surprise inspection done by the Justice Secretary Leila De Lima, along with members of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

The Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of RA 10575 were signed by De Lima on December 12, a year after the law took effect. The IRR outlines specific rules that serve as guidelines throughout the implementation of the law, which is envisioned to professionalize, modernize and reorganize the BuCor.

As chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Escudero had been pushing the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Budget Management (DBM) to speed up the release of the IRR of the Bucor's modernization law during the 2015 budget deliberations in order to conform to the penology standards set by reputable international agencies and to address the pressing needs inside the penal facilities.

However, BuCor Director Franklin Bucayu said a revamp had been scheduled by mid-December to cover the maximum, medium and minimum-security compounds of the NBP.

Escudero said the Bucor could not go full throttle in implementing the modernization law if the system would still be administrated by unscrupulous personnel.

"The modernization law will likewise upgrade the salaries of BuCor personnel at a ranking system and salary grades similar to its counterpart in the Bureau of Jail Management. Do we want to give this to rotten tomatoes in the system that is anathema to the law? A revamp is in order now," Escudero said.