Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) director general Gregorio Catapang Jr. urged 1,000 newly recruited corrections officers to help reform the agency during a simultaneous oath-taking ceremony on Thursday.

“You are fortunate to join Bucor during a time of change,” Catapang said, stressing the recruits’ role as agents of change. “You are not here just to have a job; you are here to serve the nation.”

The recruits, designated as corrections officer 1, are from facilities across the country, including New Bilibid Prison, Davao Prison and Penal Farm, Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm, Leyte Regional Prison, Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm, and San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm.

Catapang welcomed the new officers into the “family” but warned them against betraying the public trust.

“If you will do the right thing, we will take care of you and your family,” he said. “But if you will betray our trust, we will make sure that you will be relieved of your duties and you can never serve in government again.”

Catapang said the agency’s new culture is one that “watches, does not blink, and obeys duty.”

In a separate announcement, Catapang offered the Philippine Sports Commission use of BuCor’s land for sports facilities. The offer aligns with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address, which highlighted the vital role of sports in national development.