Bangsamoro will be part of PNP – Ferrer

MANILA, Philippines - The Bangsamoro police would be part of the Philippine National Police (PNP), government peace panel chairman Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said yesterday.

Ferrer said House Bill 4994 and Senate Bill 2408, which seek to create the Bangsamoro police, provide that while the future Bangsamoro government will have primary responsibility for public order and safety within the Bangsamoro, it remains a shared power with the central government.

“Consistent with the Constitution, the Bangsamoro police will be under the command and direction of the PNP chief and the administrative control and supervision of the National Police Commission (Napolcom). The recruitment, training and promotion of personnel, the acquisition of firearms and other adjunct services will remain under the PNP’s jurisdiction,” she said.

Ferrer said operational control and supervision over the local police, including the deployment of police units, are given to local chief executives under the PNP Law or Republic Act 6975 as amended by Republic Act 8551.

She said Bangsamoro bills in the House and Senate provide that the Bangsamoro police shall be “professional, civilian in character, regional in scope, effective and efficient in law enforcement, fair and impartial, free from partisan political control, and accountable under the law for its actions.”

She said the Bangsamoro police would be headed by a director and assisted by at least two deputies with the rank of at least chief superintendent.

“It is assumed that one deputy will be assigned in the Central Mindanao part of the Bangsamoro while the other deputy will be posted in the islands,” Ferrer said.

Ferrer said a Bangsamoro police board would also be created and will be part of the Napolcom.