BuCor warns personnel: 'Shape up or face dismissal'

Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) director general Gregorio Catapang Jr. issued a stern warning to agency personnel on Monday demanding professional conduct and performance improvements under threat of termination.

Speaking at the launch of BuCor’s weeklong 121st founding anniversary celebrations at the New Bilibid Prison compound, Catapang stressed that ongoing modernization efforts must be accompanied by individual accountability.

"Fix your performance. I do not want to echo the President and tell you, 'Have some shame,'" Catapang said.

"You are being rated based on your performance. If you are not fit for the job, we will remove you from the service," he added.

Catapang warned that corrupt or underperforming employees act like "rotten fruit in a basket," undermining public trust in the entire bureau.

Reflecting on his tenure since taking office in October 2022, Catapang described inheriting an agency troubled by inadequate facilities, unclear operational doctrines, and severe logistical deficits.

Despite those challenges, Catapang highlighted key milestones in the bureau's reform roadmap, including the recruitment of 4,000 additional personnel and ongoing facility upgrades across penal farms nationwide to ease overcrowding.