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Over 300 BuCor employees risk dismissal over failure to obtain college degrees, pass civil service exam

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<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Members of the officers and staff of the administration of the New Bilibid Prison of the Bureau of Corrections in Muntinlupa City, stand at attention during the flag ceremony as they hold their 117th Founding Anniversary on November 14, 2022. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/life/02/22/20221114-bucor-117th-anniversary-jc8973.jpg"/><figcaption>Members of the officers and staff of the administration of the New Bilibid Prison of the Bureau of Corrections in Muntinlupa City, stand at attention during the flag ceremony as they hold their 117th Founding Anniversary on November 14, 2022. <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File</em></figcaption></figure></div><p><br/>MANILA — More than 300 personnel of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) are now at risk of dismissal for failing to comply with a law mandating a college degree or pass the civil service professional exam, a lawyer said Wednesday.</p><p>The legal counsel of BuCor employees, Jose Ventura Aspiras, said the workers — whose positions were upgraded from Level 1 to Level 2 according to the Civil Service Commission — had been given 5 years to comply with <a href="https://doj.gov.ph/news_article.html?newsid=190">the law</a>, the period of which began in March 2018 and would supposedly end on March 15, 2023.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/focus/05/28/13/pnoy-signs-new-bucor-law">PNoy signs new BuCor lawPNoy signs new BuCor law</a></li></ul><p>The Bureau of Corrections Act of 2013, passed during the administration of former President Benigno &quot;Noynoy&quot; Aquino III, seeks to upgrade prison facilities, restructure the agency, and professionalize its ranks.</p><p>The said law requires new applicants for uniformed correctional or reformation personnel positions to be &quot;college graduates and within the age limit of 21 to 40 years old.&quot;</p><p>Now the affected personnel, with some already 30 to 40 years in service according to Aspiras, are requesting a 2-year extension and assistance from the corrections bureau, an attached agency of the Department of Justice.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2476853" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><p>Aspiras noted the period covers the years lost at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, which could have been used to finish the requirements.</p><p>&quot;&#x27;Yung mga requirements ng off-campus programs, &#x27;yung mga review classes hindi nabigay... the biggest justification &#x27;yung COVID pandemic so everybody dapa: empleyado, bureau, lahat pati civil service commission,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;May dalawang taon na walang nangyayari practically.&quot;</p><p>It is mandated by law, he also said, to help those personnel &quot;transition.&quot;</p><div><strong>REMULLA BACKING</strong></div><p>&quot;Hopeful &#x27;yung mga empleyado na they will get the support of [Justice] Secretary [Jesus Crispin] Remulla... [who] will champion their cause,&quot; Aspiras said.</p><p>&quot;That&#x27;s a good cause. I will look into that,&quot; he added, quoting Remulla as saying.</p><p>Aspiras said they are still waiting for developments about the proposed extension.</p><p>&quot;&#x27;Yung basis for the extension, legal basis under the law and &#x27;yung mga practical reasons, ngayon pa lang nagki-crystallize. The bureau and the department open naman sila to our suggestion. This could result in a win-win solution,&quot; he said.</p><p>When asked if the period of compliance can be extended according to the law, Aspiras said it could be done.</p><p>&quot;Sabihin natin ito &#x27;yung batas, i-implement natin. Pero kung &#x27;yung implementation naman ay magiging... prejudicial, makakasama sa mga affected na tao, hindi dapat. Automatically written into the law &#x27;yan na there&#x27;s got to be a way to adjust it,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;The DOJ secretary agrees, even [BuCor chief] General [Gregorio] Catapang will agree na &#x27;oo nga we should look into this, make things better and favorable to our employees,&quot; he added. </p><p>&quot;I think we will get their support.&quot;</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/05/22/bureau-of-corrections-hires-500-officers">Bureau of Corrections hires 500 officers</a></li></ul><div><strong>CSC: EXTENSION RESTS WITH BUCOR</strong></div><p>Civil Service Commission Commissioner Aileen Lizada said they have not received any notice of extension from the current management of the BuCor.</p><p>&quot;We have no other choice as well but to comply with the law,&quot; she told ABS-CBN TeleRadyo on Tuesday.</p><p>But she said it depends on the BuCor whether or not it will issue an extension.</p><p>&quot;It is not for the call ng CSC. It is call ng BuCor &#x27;yon. But as we see it wala po kaming natatanggap na extension then the law has to be complied with, meaning the 5-year period has lapsed already.&quot;</p><p>Once the BuCor sends a notice of extension, Lizada said they will &quot;act accordingly&quot; based on documents that they will receive.</p><p>&quot;Five years is a long period to comply,&quot; she noted. </p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/W4-zYtHX8p4?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

More than 300 BuCor personnel are at risk of dismissal for failing to comply with a law mandating a college degree or pass the civil service professional exam.