AWARDEES. Top officials of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) receive awards during the 44th Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) Alumni Homecoming in Silang, Cavite province on Saturday (March 9, 2024). They are (from left) BJMP Chief Jail Director Ruel Rivera, Senior Superintendent Rufino Santiago, Superintendent Xavier Solda, and Chief Inspector Catherine Cardaño. (BJMP photo)
MANILA – Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) Chief, Jail Director Ruel Rivera, and other jail officials have received awards during the 44th Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) Alumni Homecoming in Silang, Cavite province on Saturday.
Rivera received the Lakan Achievement Award for his exemplary leadership and outstanding contributions to the jail service.
Hailed as the "People’s General" within the jail bureau, Rivera has spearheaded transformative jail reform programs that have solidified BJMP's role as a major key player in the field.
Rivera, an alumnus of the PNPA Patnubay Class of 1995 and the youngest Lakan general of the Academy, cited his three subordinates for their contributions to the jail service and in maintaining the highest standard of professionalism and integrity in the service.
“I implore you to continue taking the lead in ensuring the best kind of service to our clientele especially to the persons deprived of liberty under our care," Rivera said.
“Let us continue to live with the Academy’s tenets of justice, integrity, and service at all times," he added.
Rivera has been instrumental in crafting pioneering policies and programs to digitalize major programs and services of the agency to decongest the jail and improve the living conditions of persons deprived of liberty (PDL).
Joining the BJMP chief are other BJMP officers Jail Senior Superintendent Rufino Santiago, Jail Superintendent Xavier Solda, and Jail Chief Inspector Catherine Cardaño, all also recognized as Lakan Distinguished Awardees.
Santiago, a member of PNPA Kaagapay Class of 1996 and the current chief of BJMP’s Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism Center (PCVE/C), is a seasoned officer whose wealth of experience in field operations and administrative functions helped lay the jail bureau’s blueprint on anti-terrorism and jail security efforts.
Santiago is also instrumental in forging numerous partnerships with various stakeholders of the agency, sustaining long-time efforts on jail safekeeping and operations.
On the other hand, Cardaño, a member of the PNPA Masaligan Class of 2011, was cited for her innovations in providing logistical support which resulted to numerous accomplishments for her region.
She is also instrumental in the timely completion of at least 14 projects and the acquisition of lot donations for BJMP in the Bicol Region.
Solda, meanwhile, is a member of PNPA Oman Silang Class of 2008 and the first PNPA alumnus to be recognized globally in the field of corrections as an Outstanding Correctional Service Employee by a committee of experts and corrections practitioners of the International Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA).
Solda led a series of innovations and jail reform programs, promoting dignity and human rights in jails while pushing for efficient and citizen-centric service delivery to their clientele.
The PNPA Alumni Homecoming also recognized outstanding individuals from the police and fire service, marking another milestone for this distinguished institution that produced its first graduates with the pioneering Maharlika Class of 1980. (PNA)
