700 NBP prison guards relieved — Catapang

The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) has relieved 700 prison guards of the New Bilibid Prison Maximum Security Compound, BuCor chief Gregorio Catapang Jr. announced Wednesday.

Catapang said the relieved guards will undergo a month-long refresher or retraining program before being assigned elsewhere.

“Actually, matagal ko nang balak yan kasi gusto ko i-retrain lahat ito, i-repress, kasi yung ugali na na develop na nila, mali mali eh,” he said in an ambush interview.

(I've been wanting to do that because I wanted them to undergo retraining and correct the wrong habits they developed.)

“Yung pag du-duty. Yung iba dyan hindi naman nag du-duty, nasa bahay lang. Kaya yung 700 na sinasabi nila… hindi naman nag duty lahat yun, nasa bahay lang, tapos may pumipirma ng attendance nila,” he added.

(Some of them are pretending to be on duty when they really are just in their homes. Someone else is signing for their attendance.)

According to the BuCor chief, the agency may also file administrative and criminal complaints against some of the relieved personnel.

“‘Yung na caught in the act. Katulad yung nag palagay ako ng CCTV sa office, eh ang ginawa binaliktad para hindi na namin makita yung ginagawa nila,” Catapang said.

(Those caught in the act, like those who tampered with the CCTV may face charges.)

Catapang, however, clarified that not all 700 prison guards committed violations.

He said 300 prison guards will replace the relieved personnel.

“Enough na yan. Kasi sabi ko nga sa inyo nung umupo ako dito, technology driven,” he said.

(That's enough. Since I came over the operation has become technology driven.) 

In an ambush interview, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla described the measure as a “safety precaution.”

“It’s a perennial problem of...the bad habits acquired by people through the years in Muntinlupa and BuCor and it’s just a safety precaution so that familiarity of the guards with the inmates will not detract them from doing their job,” Remulla said.

He said Catapang had informed him of the plan on Tuesday.

“We think that it’s the right thing to do,” he said. —VAL/VBL, GMA Integrated News