Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla has proposed transferring the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to improve record-keeping, prevent confusion over cases, and ensure a fairer process for releasing qualified inmates.
“It is our position that the BJMP should be transferred under the Department of Justice, under the Bureau of Corrections,” Remulla said during discussions on the DILG’s proposed 2027 budget in the House of Representatives on Thursday, August 27.
He said combining the BJMP and the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) would make the management of correctional facilities more efficient, noting that the two agencies perform similar functions.
“Dalawang pong karpeta eh, may karpeta ang BJMP, may karpeta ang Bucor (Bureau of Corrections). I think it would be prudent for Congress to help us into combining the BuCor and BJMP into one facility since they perform the same jobs, basically, they just mirroring each other,” he added.
Remulla also proposed placing municipal and provincial jails under the DOJ as part of the proposed restructuring.
The proposal came after Rep. Antonio Tinio of ACT Teachers Party-list raised concerns from families of PDLs who may already be eligible for release but remain in BJMP custody due to missing or disorganized records.
Remulla said transferring the BJMP under the DOJ could help address such issues by placing the management of PDL records under a single department, potentially preventing confusion over cases and ensuring a more uniform process for the release of qualified inmates.
Under the current system, the BJMP manages city, municipal and district jails, while BuCor oversees national prisons and penal farms.
