BACOLOD City – Several persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology’s (BJMP) Male Dormitory Annex in Barangay Handumanan here are given an opportunity to earn a college degree through the agency’s College Education Behind Bars Program, in partnership with the Bacolod City College (BCC).
This comes after Jail Chief Superintendent Simeon Dolojo, regional director of BJMP Region 6, and Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on this yesterday, November 11.
“The BJMP has a mission of providing developmental opportunities to PDLs and mandated to implement educational and skills training/enhancement programs to provide opportunities for PDLs to achieve their full potential to become useful member of the society upon integration with the community,” read part of the MOA.
It also stated that the BCC, a higher education institution duly established pursuant to City Ordinance No. 175 series of 1997 as amended, has a mandate to provide quality and affordable education to students and become globally competitive graduates.
Ma. Johanna Ann Bayoneta, college administrator of BCC, said the program is an initiative of the BJMP that piloted in BJMP-Davao.
“This is the first time that this program will be implemented in the Bacolod District Jail which is only limited to 25 PDLs of Barangay Handumanan. The PDLs’ cases have no final decision yet from the court,” said Bayoneta.
She added that the PDLs have the chance to earn a degree of Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship.
For his part, Jail Superintendent Abner Zamora, chief operations division of BJMP-6, said the program is a joint effort of the BJMP and the Bacolod City Government to give chance to PDLs who have not been in college./PN
