BJMP is under DILG, not involved in Go caper

This has reference to the caricature appearing in editorial page (page 14) of today’s (Aug. 16) issue of The Philippine STAR where you have depicted a man holding a “magician’s hat” with a name printed in bold letters “BJMP” and a paper-like thing apparently coming out off the said hat with the tag “Rolito Gone”, all implying that the Jail Bureau has something to do with the alleged escape or kidnapping of national prisoner Rolito Go who is in the custody of the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) in Muntinlupa City.

Please be informed that the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) is a line bureau of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) together with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) which was created under Republic Act No. 6975 on January 2, 1991. Also known as the Jail Bureau, the BJMP is aptly exercising supervision and control over all district, city and municipal jails nationwide, and is catering to inmates who are undergoing trial and those who are convicted with jail terms not exceeding six years.

On the other hand, the NBP is a jail facility under the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) along with other facilities like the Correctional Institute for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong, Iwahig Penal Farm in Palawan, Sablayan Penal Colony in Occidental Mindoro, San Ramon Penal Colony in Zamboanga and Davao Penal Colony (DAPECOL) in Davao. Further, it is worthy to note that the PNP also maintains jails which are known as lock up cells. Verily, the portrayal that the BJMP is responsible in the disappearance of Rolito Go was obviously irresponsibly placed in the editorial page of your periodical. It is unfair and has caused undue damage to the reputation of the Jail Bureau.

In view thereof, we are requesting that correction be instantaneously made and that the same be caused to be printed for the public to read just like how the public was fed with the false information conveyed in the caricature.