The Philippine Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) has successfully launched its first in-house professional Security and Control seminar held at the BJMP Regional Training Center in Barangay Turbina, Calamba, Laguna. Through meticulous planning initiated by Gen. Efren A. Nemeno, DPA, TLPE, Jail Superintendent and Regional Director of the Jail Bureau, he and his staff, including Atty. Reynaldo A. Paguirigan Jr., Jail Chief Inspector and Jail Warden himself, invited F. Fred Argosino, a retired senior law enforcement officer from California, and Adjunct Professor in criminal justice from West Wood Colleges (now Platt Colleges), as the resource speaker. It was an 8 hour session structured to discuss issues in jail management and control as well as officers’ safety, to mention a few. At the conclusion of the seminar, the BJMP officers consisting of all the jail wardens within the CALABARZON region were awarded certificates of completion for their participation. When asked when he started this idea of holding this type of seminar or workshop, and invite a resource speaker, Gen. Nemeno never hesitated in saying that “it has always been my desire to ensure that the officers working with me or under my supervision, are afforded quality training and education. And what better way to do that than to invite law enforcement professionals and experienced resource speakers, or people I know, who by their law enforcement background, can properly train our officers. I thanked Prof. Fred Argosino for his positive response by traveling from California to share with us his time and his law enforcement expertise, pro bono.”
Argosino was accompanied to the BJMP facility by Atty. Jun Paredes, an immigration attorney and a fellow brother in masonry. Upon his return to California, Argosino on the other hand said, “I did not mind the travel and the time spent, it was all worth it. Being with them (BJMP officers and wardens) gave me a new sense of admiration. I was used to training PNP officers and criminology students in the Philippines, but the collective and enthusiastic desire for knowledge by these officers is commendable. They ought to be recognized also for the good job they are currently doing in protecting the public and the community.
Much gratitude for this article and the gist it provided. The basic tenet of law enforcement, be it from the perspective of a police officer on patrol, the detectives who are focused and consumed in the investigation and resolution of a case, or in this case, the ward maintenance and management and security enforcement and control upon the penal populace – which are the basic and necessary tenet of supervising the penal system – by the BJMP officers and wardens – focus on the commonality of protecting and serving. Surprisingly, even within the system of incarceration (jail and/or prison, regardless of size), – the ‘protect and serve’ intent – i.e, the seamless, maintenance and subsequent rehabilitation/term completion of the jail/penal populace – can be achieved by an increasingly professional corps of officers fully trained and versed in the ethics and mechanics of properly effective and efficient jail management. Its success directly correlates to the dual role of protecting and serving the general ‘outside’ populace not just by the results of rehabilitation and hopefully, the avoidance of repeat offenders, but also the effectively strong discipline that officers promulgate in enforcing the overall safety and security rules and regulations within the jail system.
Notwithstanding my own brotherly bias, given my personal relationship with Prof. Fred Argosino, I opine that there is no better resource of knowledge and training for the BJMP officers and wardens than Prof. Argosino. Not only does he possess the academic pedigree in Criminology – having taught and trained both future (students) and concurrent law enforcement officers in his years as a university professor, his lengthy and vast experience as an investigator and law enforcement officer for/in the State of CA enable and allow him to point out the nuances of effective security management. Kudos to Gen. Nemeno and his professional staff for tapping and utilizing Prof. Argosino’s invaluable expertise.
Kudos to General Efren A. Nemeno, DPA, TLPE and his Staff for successfully launching its first In-House Professional Security and Control Seminar. Having in mind of providing quality training and education to every BJMP personnel is very commendable and so necessary essential to the effective execution of their assigned duties and responsibilities that merits emulation by the Heads of similar agencies like the PNP. Learning and gaining the latest informations and techniques from the top notch resource speaker like Prof Fred Argosino, is an insurance to a fluidity of successful realization of the Commands’ goals and missions….