A DESIRE TO MEET CHANGE

            A Bureau of Jail and Management Penology officer JO2 Mary Grace Gervacio, who pledged an oath to meet changes to the criminally accused residents of the society and to be well-equipped people of the country by helping them grow while they are inside the jail.  She has been in service as a jail officer for eleven long years of her life and has been an officer in Marikina City Jail for three years. This is the only job she has since she graduated as a criminologist. As she enters her job, she becomes more aware of the cases that run in the government and to what extent they extend their actions and concerns. Her advocacy is to persuade those who are criminally accused individual to change by helping them grow while they are under the provision of BJMP, a bureau that manages the clients while their cases are still hearing in courts.

            When she is asked for the impediments she experienced as a jail officer of BJMP in Marikina City Jail, she answered, “Sa kabuuang service ko na sa pagiging jail officer, so far naman di naman sya mahirap magdecide yun lang mag time lang na kailangn ka sana ng pamilya mo pero kailangan ka dito sa duty. Lalo na kapag red alert, yung holiday… yung… yung hindi naman sya hindi muna kailangn magdecide kasi obligado ka na nandito ka kapag red alert ka yun lang na parang gusto mo sana doon pero hindi ka pwede kasi kailangan ka ng trabaho mo….yun lang.” And when she asks of what  philosophy she has as a jail officer of BJMP in service, she answers, “ahhh sa akin parang ang sa akin kasi masaya na ako pg ka yung yung dati kasi sa female ako yung naexperience ko ay pinakamai anong maiiwang legacy yung pwede palang yung kaya mo palang tulungan yung kapwa mo na magbago kasi nag tie up kami sa service provider tapos binigyan namin sya ng livelihood tapos yung piyansa lang kasi yun nagpiyansa siya napaaga ng paglaya nya tapos yung livelihood na tinuro namin sa kanya yung nagging kabuhayan nya paglaya niya parang ayun narin yung advocacy ko na makatulong ng isang inmates na makalabas sya at the same time ay magbago ang buhay niya kasi alam naman natin  na lath ng…. hindi lahat or mostly sa napapasok dito ay yung walang trabaho sa labas kaya sila gumagawa ng krimen, nagdadrugs o di kaya nagnanakaw kasi para pantawid gutom ganun pag nabigyan sila ng livelihood na educate sila so malamang hindi na sila babalik dito tapos iko may nai.. naipapakilala din sa kanial yung iba kasi wala tlaga silang anong religion na yung tiwala  sa Panginoon ganun, tapos pakikipagkapwa, ano pa bang question? meron pa ba ? (insert nakakaiyak hahahaha) di naman.”