Napolcom approves upgrading of rank for 44 top cops

The Philippine National Police (PNP) may soon become a “star-studded” agency in the government once the National Police Commission (Napolcom) approves a proposal to upgrade the ranks of 44 police regional directors and their deputies.

Documents obtained by The STAR showed that the PNP has submitted a draft resolution to the Napolcom to upgrade the ranks of the Metro Manila police chief, his two deputies, all the 16 regional directors, 10 executive officers, directorial staff and deputies of regional directors.

This developed as the PNP said it has an “oversupply” of 300 senior police officers with the rank of senior superintendent on floating status that the agency wanted to ship to Mindanao to utilize their capabilities and talents.

Under the existing setup, the director of Metro Manila Police or the National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) must have a rank of director (two-star general) but the present chief, Reynaldo Varilla, is a deputy director general (three-star general).

The new proposal indicated that with the NCRPO chief having three-star rank, his deputy for administration and operations would be allowed to have two-star rank.

All regional directors, under the PNP proposal, will be given two-star ranks each while their deputy for administration and operation, except for the NCRPO, would be given the rank of chief superintendent or one star.

At present, a majority of the 10 members of the PNP Directorial Staff are occupying the post of Director or two-star rank while their respective deputies for administration are occupying one-star ranks.

Now, the executive officers of the PNP Directorial Staff would be allowed to be promoted to Chief Superintendent, a position formerly occupied by officers with a rank of Senior Superintendent.

A reliable Camp Crame source said the new proposal, which reportedly has obtained favorable response from the Napolcom chaired by Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno, has no implementing guidelines yet.

The proposed resolution will amend the pertinent provisions of Napolcom Resolution no. 92-36 dated Oct. 15, 1992, especially the ranks of the positions of PNP regional directors, deputy regional directors for operations and executive officers of the PNP directorial staff.

“The Napolcom reviewed and found merits on the official position paper of the PNP entitled ‘Proposed Upgrading of Ranks of the Regional Directors and other positions in the PNP’ dated July 16, 2007,” the proposal added.

If approved by the Napolcom, The STAR source said it may “open the floodgates” for lobby or petitions by other PNP support units which include the heads of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), the Civil Security Group (CSG), the Communications and Electronics (CE), PNP intelligence group, the PNP firearms and explosives division, and the Maritime Command, among others, to seek two-star ranks.

“It may even be asked for by the officials from the PNP Health Service and the PNP Chaplain Service,” the source said.

The PNP has set aside implementing certain provisions in the PNP Reform Law under Republic Act 8551 which calls for the upgrading of position to Chief Superintendent of provincial directors in first class provinces such as Pampanga, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Laguna, Rizal, Batangas, Metro Cebu, Metro Davao, among others.

In its rationale and discussion, the PNP said the organization is very dynamic and its sphere of police responsibility increases with the emerging global crime trends like narco-terrorism, commercial fraud, cyber crimes, human trafficking, smuggling and other transnational crime.

“In facing these challenges, the PNP is duty bound to enforce the law, prevent and control crimes, ensure public safety and maintain peace and order 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year to protect more than 80 million Filipinos,” the document noted.