BuCor prepared to accept Alice Guo — Catapang

Bureau of Corrections Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. on Friday said they are fully prepared to accept former Bamban Mayor Alice Guo and other individuals who may be ordered for commitment by the court.

This was the assurance given by Catapang, saying security measures are being enhanced at the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW), where Guo will be transferred after she was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Pasig Regional Trial Court for qualified trafficking.

On the other hand, CIW Corrections Technical Superintendent Marjorie Ann Sanidad informed Catapang that they already deployed an additional Corrections Emergency Response Team to ensure peace and order within the facilities.

All personnel have been placed on-call status effective Friday.

Sanidad explained that, as a standard operating procedure, upon the commitment of PDL Guo at CIW, she will be received by a designated Receiving Officer at the Reception and Diagnostic Center (RDC).

The initial phase includes the verification of her documents and belongings before she is quarantined in the RDC for five days, during which a thorough medical examination will be undertaken.

Guo will then be transferred to the RDC regular dormitory, where she will undergo the mandatory orientation, diagnostics, and qualification.

After completing the 60-day process at the RDC, she will be transferred to her assigned regular dormitory at the Maximum Security Camp, considering that she is sentenced to life imprisonment.

Catapang explained that, as a newly committed person deprived of liberty, the 55-day assessment period after the five-day quarantine is very important to help determine her psychological and physical needs, because this information will be used by the institution to create an individualized treatment or program.

The BuCor chief added that the RDC likewise provides orientation programs and educational sessions aimed at helping new inmates adjust to the correctional environment while understanding their rights and the facility’s rules.