BI personnel undergo custodial training

MANILA, Philippines — To better secure detainees at the two warden facilities of the Bureau of Immigration, 96 BI personnel completed a specialized custodial handling and security course.

In a statement yesterday, BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said the immigration personnel assigned in Taguig and Muntinlupa underwent a 20-day training.

Up to 446 detainees are being held at the BI facilities in Taguig and Muntinlupa.

The 160-hour course equipped participants with specialized knowledge and practical skills in detainee accounting and monitoring, facility security, escort and transport operations, search and inspection procedures as well as escape prevention and recovery.

They were also briefed on the safe handling and proper use of firearms. 

 The program also emphasized professionalism, operational readiness, accountability and respect for human rights in the performance of custodial duties.

Viado said the training aims to ensure that immigration detention facilities remain secure and the welfare of people under BI custody are protected.

“Our officers are entrusted with a responsibility that demands discipline, competence and integrity. This training ensures that they are prepared to maintain the security of our facilities while upholding the rule of law and respecting the rights and dignity of every detainee,” Viado said.

“A professional custodial force is essential to a modern and credible immigration system,” he added.

The BI said the specialized course forms part of its continuing efforts to strengthen the operational readiness of immigration personnel and enhance the standards of custodial management in support of the administration’s commitment to a more efficient, accountable and service-oriented public sector.