Jonvic Remulla urges Congress to merge BJMP, BuCor under DOJ

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Thursday urged Congress to consider merging the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) under the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Under the current setup, the BJMP is attached to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), while the BuCor is under the DOJ.

“It is our position that the BJMP should be transferred under the Department of Justice, under the Bureau of Corrections,” Remulla said in the DILG’s budget hearing in the House of Representatives.

“I think it would be prudent for Congress to help us combine BuCor and BJMP into one facility since they perform the same jobs; basically they’re just mirroring each other,” he added.

Municipal and provincial jails could also be integrated, since they also operate independently, Remulla said.

Remulla was responding to ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio's concern that some detainees due for release have had their freedom delayed due to shoddy record-keeping.

Both the BJMP and the BuCor would have different case files for prisoners. The DILG secretary said combining two agencies would allow for more streamlined operations. This would also allow better record management for detainees. —LDF, GMA News