BJMP officials buck new appointment

Officials of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) warned against the appointment of Senior Superintendent Josue Engano yesterday as the new jail chief, saying it would tarnish the bureau’s reputation.

The BJMP officials, who asked anonymity for fear of reprisal, said that Malacañang’s move of easing out officer-in-charge Chief Superintendent Arturo Alit as BJMP chief was "very blatant for everybody to notice."

They said that Alit’s ouster and Engano being "under-qualified" for the post, could lead to the loss of reputation in the eyes of the public and its personnel, and the subsequent destruction of the jail institution.

"We fear that this appointment of Mr. Engano as BJMP director would destroy the bureau. We appeal to President Arroyo to correct this mistake and injustice immediately," as BJMP officials said in a statement.

The Star tried to contact Engano yesterday for his comments, but according to JO1 Berna Pancho, he was unavailable because "he was in a meeting."

No less than Interior and Local Government Secretary Joey Lina opposed the appointment of Engano as BJMP head, citing lack of credentials.

Lina said that the Civil Service Commission requires that a BJMP chief should be a one-star general for at least a year, something Engano was not.

Lina added that a BJMP director should also be a Career Service Executive eligibility (CESO) passer and has undergone the officers’ and senior executive course. Engano is not a CESO passer.

With those, BJMP officials view the appointment of Engano as a "clear mistake", and are now discussing what actions to be taken to "save the jail institution." Alit has all the qualifications of being a BJMP director, they said.