The DILG announced on Monday that Rico Escalano Puno assumed his post as DILG Undersecretary for Peace and Order, replacing Marius Corpus.

A new undersecretary for the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) assumed his post on Monday following his appointment by President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.

The DILG announced on Monday that Rico Escalano Puno assumed his post as DILG Undersecretary for Peace and Order, replacing Marius Corpus.

Puno is the first DILG undersecretary to be appointed by the President and has been with Aquino since he became a congressman and senator.

As Undersecretary for Peace and Order, Puno will supervise the operations of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).

For his part, the new Undersecretary assured DILG officials and personnel, particularly at the BFP and BJMP, that he will continue the implementation of programs and projects at the two bureaus, including upgrading their facilities especially equipment to improve their services.

“We will try to implement the programs and projects in the way Usec Corpus has done under his watch,” said Puno during simple turnover ceremonies at the DILG headquarters.

In his farewell message, Corpus recounted that “the present BFP and BJMP is quite different from the BFP and BJMP that I saw when I first arrived in the DILG nine years ago.”

“In our effort to professionalize the two bureaus, we introduced some changes through Republic Act 9263, which equalize the pay of BFP and BJMP officials and personnel at par with the PNP; elevated positions at the BFP and BJMP, so that regional directors of BFP and BJMP are now full-fledge regional directors,” he cited.

Corpus boasted that it was under his watch that a new Fire Code of the Philippines was passed into law, which enabled the BFP to modernize through the use of the fire code fees.

At the BJMP, new district, city and municipal jails were constructed nationwide, and inmates were able to exercise their right of suffrage adding, that in the last May 10 elections with around 17,000 inmates nationwide being able to vote.

“I hope that the two bureaus will continue their process of professionalization, and I believe they will be in good hands with the leadership of Usec Puno,” Corpus said.