Care for Carers: NCAF Leadership Journey for BuCor Personnel

From March 5–6, 2026, the Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation (NCAF), in collaboration with the Philippine Jesuit Prison Service Foundation, Inc. (PJPS), held the Leadership Journey Retreat Workshop entitled “Care for Carers” at the Montserrat Center for Religious Formation in Silang, Cavite.

This meaningful gathering brought together personnel from the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) who serve in various offices and camps within the corrections system, including the New Bilibid Prison and the Correctional Institution for Women. Participants came from different divisions such as the Office of the Deputy Director General for Security and Operations, Work and Livelihood Division, Moral and Spiritual Division, Sports and Recreation Division, Reception and Diagnostic Center, and from the Maximum, Medium, and Minimum Security Camps.

Throughout the two-day Leadership Journey Retreat Workshop, participants were invited into a sacred space of listening, reflection, and renewal. The program provided opportunities to hear powerful personal testimonies from speakers, reminding participants that leadership is not only about authority or responsibility, but also about integrity, compassion, and service.

Participants were also given ample time for reflection, prayer, and discernment, allowing them to reconnect with the deeper meaning of their vocation as public servants entrusted with the care and rehabilitation of persons deprived of liberty.

Representing PJPS in this collaborative formation were Ma. Katherine Guaño and Angel Allego. From NCAF, the program was facilitated by John Paulo “Jampaol” C. Reyes, Lorena S. Sorongon, Henri A. Macatangay, and Nmanuel G. De Leon, Jr.

For PJPS, this partnership reflects a shared mission. Our work in prison ministry does not only focus on accompanying Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) and supporting our scholars and their families. It also includes journeying with those who serve within the correctional system every day. The officers and personnel who accompany our brothers and sisters behind bars.

Formation, after all, is not only for those who are incarcerated. It is also for those who are entrusted with leadership, responsibility, and care within the justice system.

Through initiatives like the Leadership Journey, we are reminded that when we care for carers, we strengthen the entire community that works toward hope, healing, and restoration.

Together, may we continue forming leaders guided not only by competence, but by conscience, compassion, and commitment to the dignity of every person.

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.