BuCor Carries Out Major Leadership Shake-Up Amid Investigations

The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) has relieved two prison superintendents from their posts and reassigned seven other key officials in a sweeping leadership reshuffle that spans major correctional facilities across the Philippines. The move, announced Friday at BuCor headquarters in Muntinlupa City, comes amid ongoing investigations into the conduct of two senior officers and signals what the agency describes as a renewed push for accountability and reform.

C/Supt. Ricardo R. Sespene Jr., superintendent of Leyte Regional Prison, and CT/SSupt. Marjorie Ann P. Sanidad, head of the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City, were relieved from their posts effective immediately. Both officials have been reassigned to other roles within BuCor while investigations into their conduct continue.

Leadership Shake-Up Across Seven Facilities

The reshuffle affects at least seven major prison and penal farm facilities across Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao, underscoring its national scope.

Appointed to new positions are:

• C/SSupt. Ruben Formoso as Superintendent of Leyte Regional Prison
• CT/SSupt. Daisy Sevilla-Castillote as head of the Correctional Institution for Women, Mandaluyong City
• C/SSupt. Alfredo Devaras as Superintendent of San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm in Zamboanga City
• C/Supt. Gary Garcia as Superintendent of New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City
• C/Supt. Roger Boncales reassigned to Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Occidental Mindoro
• C/Supt. Edgardo M. Mendoza Jr. as Superintendent of Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Palawan
• C/Supt. Abel D.R. Ciruela as Superintendent of Davao Prison and Penal Farm

The two relieved officials were not dismissed from service. Sespene was reassigned to the BuCor Land Control and Management Center Anti-Squatting Unit, while Sanidad was transferred to the New Bilibid Prison Hospital in Muntinlupa City.

Investigations Prompt Administrative Action

BuCor confirmed that both Sespene and Sanidad were relieved “amid an ongoing investigation into their conduct.” The bureau did not disclose the nature, scope or timeline of the investigations, citing the continuing administrative process.

The decision to reassign rather than terminate the officials suggests a precautionary approach, removing them from sensitive command posts while formal inquiries proceed. Such interim measures are not uncommon in administrative investigations, particularly within uniformed services where leadership roles directly affect institutional stability.

Catapang: Strengthening Safekeeping and Reformation

Director General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr. framed the reshuffle as part of a broader effort to strengthen BuCor’s institutional mandate.

“The change of leadership aims to ensure that the correction facilities continues to uphold its twin-mandate of safekeeping and reformation while maintaining public trust and confidence,” Catapang said during Friday’s ceremony.

He added that the reorganization was intended “to bolster BuCor’s effectiveness in managing correctional facilities and responding swiftly to emerging challenges.”

BuCor reiterated that the reshuffle seeks to “enhance its mandate of safekeeping and reformation” of persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).

Implications for Inmates and Families

While leadership changes often unfold behind administrative doors, their consequences are felt daily by thousands of inmates and their families.

Superintendents oversee security protocols, visitation policies, rehabilitation programs and internal discipline. In facilities such as New Bilibid Prison—one of the country’s largest penitentiaries—administrative decisions can affect everything from contraband control to educational and vocational training.

For families of PDLs, stable and accountable leadership can mean more predictable visitation schedules, clearer communication lines and consistent application of rules. For surrounding communities, particularly those near large facilities in Metro Manila and provincial cities, effective management is closely tied to public safety and confidence in the correctional system.

A System Under Continuing Scrutiny

BuCor has faced sustained public scrutiny in recent years over issues ranging from overcrowding to allegations of internal misconduct. Friday’s announcement, though focused on personnel movements, underscores the delicate balance prison authorities must maintain: security without abuse, discipline without corruption, and reform without disorder.

The sweeping scale of the reshuffle—touching institutions from Palawan to Davao, Zamboanga to Occidental Mindoro, and the National Capital Region—suggests that BuCor is seeking not only corrective action in specific cases, but a broader recalibration of leadership.

For now, much hinges on the outcome of the ongoing investigations and on how effectively the newly appointed superintendents steer their respective facilities. In a system where leadership can shape both the culture inside prison walls and public trust beyond them, the stakes are high—and closely watched.