The Bureau of Corrections is gearing up for a long-term rebuildโthis time, from the inside out. BuCor chief Gregorio Catapang Jr. says the agency is eyeing 2,000 additional positions by 2028, part of a three-year workforce plan designed to professionalize prison management and ease operational strain across facilities nationwide.
The numbers show steady progress. By the end of 2025, BuCor had filled nearly 93% of its authorized posts, up from the previous year, with thousands of correctional officers already on the ground. Still, close to 700 positions remain vacant, and Catapang has been candid about the pressure this puts on day-to-day operationsโespecially with many personnel clustered at entry-level ranks.
Rather than treat that imbalance as a liability, BuCor is framing it as a pipeline. The expansion plan pairs recruitment with career progression, anticipating retirements and attrition while creating room for younger officers to move up. The goal isnโt just more boots on the ground, but a healthier leadership ladder that keeps experience inside the system.
Backing that up is a โฑ7.3-million investment in training, with streamlined courses rolling out in early 2026โfrom basic recruit instruction to officer candidate programs. For BuCor, this is about sustainability: building a corrections workforce thatโs staffed, skilled, and ready. In a system often defined by overcrowding and shortages, the message is clearโsupport the people inside, and the institution stands a better chance of holding.
Image from Senate PRIB