Manila: The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has approved the Bureau of Corrections' (BuCor) modified rank structure of its uniformed personnel, Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. said on Thursday.
According to Philippines News Agency, DBM acting Secretary Kim Robert De Leon signed the BuCor's request and conveyed it to Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida, highlighting the government's commitment to enhancing the BuCor's organizational framework effective Aug. 1.
Catapang said the revised rank distribution reflects a comprehensive pyramidal configuration designed to promote clarity in roles and responsibilities, enhance accountability and operational effectiveness, and maintain the number of uniformed positions at the current level, ensuring stable staffing despite the structural changes.
The revised rank distribution also outlines the authorized number of personnel at each level and their respective percentage shares within the BuCor's uniformed workforce, totaling 8,589 members.
He added that these allocations were fine-tuned to more closely align BuCor's personnel distribution pattern with that of its counterpart agency and form part of ongoing efforts to professionalize the agency and enhance service delivery in the Philippine corrections system.
This distribution, Catapang explained, illustrates a steep pyramid with the vast majority of personnel occupying the junior ranks, particularly the Corrections Officer I position, which accounts for more than 71 percent of the workforce.
'By creating a clearer hierarchy and balancing the distribution of personnel across ranks, BuCor seeks to improve operational efficiency, reinforce discipline, and better prepare its force to meet the demands of correctional administration,' Catapang said.
The BuCor chief thanked the DBM and Vida for the approval of the rank structure, which is part of the BuCor Modernization Act, or Republic Act 10575 of 2013, which provides for the modernization, professionalization, and restructuring of the bureau.
The corresponding funding requirements resulting from the modification of the existing rank distribution shall be charged against the agency's available Personnel Services appropriations.
