The Bureau of Corrections, led by DIRECTOR GENERAL GREGORIO PIO P CATAPANG JR, AFP (RET.), CESE, CCLH, held a solemn commemoration on All Souls’ Day, honoring the departed Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) who passed away within the country’s prison facilities and were unclaimed by family members. The ceremony included a nationwide mass across all BuCor facilities held today, November 2, 2024.
Led by DG CATAPANG JR., BuCor personnel offered wreaths and lit candles to remember and dignify the deceased PDLs, including those who succumbed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many PDLs who passed were left in funeral homes without anyone to claim their remains. Upon assuming his role in October 2022, DG CATAPANG JR. prioritized the orderly and respectful handling of unclaimed cadavers, laying a total of 384 PDLs to rest since his tenure began.
BuCor Key Officials, Commissioned and Non-commissioned officers, as well as trainees from the Corrections Officers Custodial Basic Course (COCBC), gathered to witness the mass. The ceremony emphasized BuCor’s commitment to upholding dignity and compassion, even for those whose lives may have ended in confinement and without family to lay them to rest.
Under DG CATAPANG’s leadership, BuCor has initiated reforms to address the humane treatment of PDLs within its custody. This annual observance recognizes the deceased PDLs and reflects BuCor’s commitment to enhancing the correctional system in ways that extend beyond incarceration.
