A total of 5,113 applicants took the Entry Level Examination (EnLex) on Saturday for Jail Officer 1 (JO1) position at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).

They were part of the 17,362 JO1 aspirants who submitted their applications this year, according to the data of the Directorate for Personnel and Records Management.

The application of the more than 12,000 other aspirants, who are either registered criminologists, teachers, or nurses, is under process and review since they were exempted from taking the EnLex and have already passed the initial physical examination.

Director Allan Iral, BJMP chief, expressed elation over the vast number of applicants who applied for the JO1 position as the bureau needs an additional 2,000 JO1 to safeguard the 478 district, city and municipal jails that house more than 129,000 inmates nationwide.

“The mass hiring is essential to provide quality jail management service towards a more rehabilitative facility for our PDL,” Iral said in a statement.

The EnLex is composed of general information, mathematics, basic English and grammar, sentence arrangement, paragraph completion and essay.

To be appointed to the rank of JO1, an applicant must pass the neuro-psychiatric examination, background investigation, panel interview initial deliberation, medical/dental/physical examination, drug test, strength and agility test, and final deliberation.

The applicant must also possess a baccalaureate degree and appropriate second-level eligibility; must not be less than 21 or more than 30 years of age; at least 5 feet and 2 inches for males and 5 feet for females; and must not be less or more than 5kg from the standard weight corresponding to the applicant’s height, age and gender.

The result of the exam will be released next week. (PNA)