BuCor's cross roads of scandal, chain of events, reality

The Bureau of Corrections is one such agency one finds at the cross roads of a scandal,  is  one of the most controversial and complicated agencies in the country. The BuCor knows that the public would suspect that chain of events is unbelievable. it could not be anything else.

Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director Gaudencio Pangilinan has gone on indefinite leave beginning Thursday noon following the disappearance of convict Rolito Go from the National Bilibid Prison (NBP), Malacañang announced last Thursday.

“In order to emphasize the principle of command responsibility and to enhance the investigation, Bureau of Corrections Director Gaudencio Pangilinan has offered to go on leave and the President has accepted,” Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in a news briefing.

Kidnapping Event

Rolito Go was convicted of killing engineering student Eldon Maguan in 1991. Go, a “living-out prisoner” is one who is sick or is over 70 years old, and those serving a minimum penalty of less than six years. He has been in prison for 18 years and is suffering from colon cancer.

“He usually stays at the Ina ng Awa Church where he is accompanied by a private nurse,” Lacierda said.

Go was kidnapped or if he is a missing prisoner? It was reported that on Wednesday night, the Philippine National Police got custody of Go after he and his nurse-nephew Clemence Yu surfaced in Alabang, claiming they were abducted.

President Benigno Aquino ordered the Justice department to investigate how Go could have escaped or could have been abducted from the NBP. “President Aquino has ordered an in-depth, multi-agency investigation into the circumstances surrounding his disappearance and eventual reappearance,” Lacierda also said.

It was reported that on Wednesday night, the Philippine National Police got custody of Go after he and his nurse-nephew Clemence Yu surfaced in Alabang, claiming they were abducted. Go, meanwhile, insisted that he had been kidnapped by four men  inside the NBP’s minimum security compound, a claim that the National Police initially believed based on its ongoing investigation into the case.

However, BuCor Director Pangilinan maintained the earlier position of the NBP that Go, who had been committed at the penitentiary since 1996, escaped along with his personal nurse-nephew Clemence Yu. He said that he will let the police finish its investigation into the case, as he spoke to the National Police chief, Director General Nicanor Bartolome.

The kidnapping story ends with Go heading back to prison.  Nothing was believable in the shifting scenarios.

BuCor Director Gaudencio Pangilinan has been exercises administrative supervision over the prisons and penal farms and staff services.  One of his functions in the department is developing policies and programs aimed at effective safekeeping and rehabilitation of national prisoners towards the societal goal of peace and order.

The Bureau of Corrections’ vision is  to “protect the public and prevent crimes in partnership with stakeholders by providing persons under custody opportunities for reformation, decent environment and secure settings.”

Last June 2012, I have read Director Pangilinan’s sharing of his thoughts about managing the corrections services.

"Managing The Bureau of Corrections Is Not Easy - Director Gaudencio Pangilinan"

The phrase is not an expression of exasperation; it is rather a discovery of a fact. It is not a wailing cry of desperation; but rather a confirmation of something never before accepted as a reality.

And why is it not easy to manage an agency despite all the rules, powers and authorities in its command arsenal? It is in the overall picture of its environment. Unlike plants, unlike animals, unlike any other governmental concern, managing the most dangerous sector of society – the so called insular prisoners projects so much stress to the point that nothing is correct in the scale of administering fairly their community. It is neither hot nor cold; neither here nor there; neither good nor bad; neither proper nor improper. Either an officer is exceptionally a genius person or abnormally intelligent to justify the right way in managing the affairs of prison administration.

The Bureau of Corrections is one such agency one finds at the cross roads of a scandal.

If there is no news that could grab public attention, one can find something in prison worth jolting the hell out of stability. For sure there are numerous instances in the prison community that is worth a moment’s notice. If the mood is something that would require empathy for the down trodden, there are alleged cases to be slapped on prison officials. If the prevailing sentiment is against the offenders, there are incidents that could be divulged against prison denizens. In both instances, the prison administrator’s neck is usually on the line. This is where sensationalism comes, that is where the news item becomes a regular highlighted feature, something that sells the newsprint, something that is projected on television, something one follows up on radio. And the Bureau of Corrections, whether it is in its star to be exposed or not, is always there are as an exciting filling material.

Any administrator worth his salt would find this stark reality as soon as he gets into ground work. NO amount of work ethics can drive the prison community--- officers included, into the tailspin of real committed work. Resistance is etched in every corner of the prison camp. Tradition is almost embossed in the granite walls of the community. To reform is like calling to arms as in war. Yet changes must be done. Several prison administrations have dedicated itself in the past only to be waylaid by indifference later. Result: the prison service remained static, recluse and worst, a benchmark for incompetence. And there lies the challenge. Change must occur, innovation must start somewhere. Corrections must regain its real meaning.

The process is not a walk in the park. It is, to borrow today’s lingo, complicated. Change demands sacrifice. While not all improvements result in change, all changes result in improvement. And the prison service is still undecided to fulfill change notwithstanding the enforcement of leadership. Attitude remains the biggest challenge and it must turn into a crusading spirit. It must be guided tour for real change, a clear direction to be reached.

And the first step is having a good grasp of where to go. That explains the significance of the BuCor roadmap. It has to be adopted, embraced, and totally appreciated from the heart.

BuCor is a prison where thousands of convicted offenders from all corners of the archipelago serve sentences. I have been visiting and witnessing what's happening inside the BuCor.  Even, the Maximum Security Compound is everything that I didn’t expect. This isn’t simply a place where convicted offenders are stored away until they have served their sentences. 

The Bureau of Corrections isn’t the bureau of punishment. Its mandate is to rehabilitate the offenders. Knowing the harsh conditions that society offers many of its citizens, the New Bilibid Prison might actually be the first real chance many of its inmates ever get to become genuine citizens and live meaningful, productive lives.

I believe that a BuCor Director Pangilinan is with the local and national laws connected with inmate rights and detention standards, due process and sentencing. He is always doing the basics of prison administration including routines and techniques regarding work, education and rehabilitation of inmates. The BuCor Director has always developing and implementing training procedures, delegate tasks, assess inmate needs, assign placement and transfers of inmates within the institution, examine security measures and suggest necessary changes, review inmate communications and react accordingly and coordinate inmate activities.