Drilon: 25,000 lawmen may lose jobs in January

Unless Congress amends Republic Act 8551, the law creating the Philippine National Police, some 25,000 policemen may lose their jobs in January next year for failing to meet the PNP’s minimum educational requirement.

Thus, Senate President Franklin Drilon urged his colleagues to pass Senate Bill No. 1972, which proposes to extend the period for policemen to meet this requirement.

"A number of our most competent and well-experienced PNP personnel have acquired the skills of the job through long field experience. Displacing them from the PNP ranks due to non-compliance with the educational requirement will drastically affect the performance of the PNP," he said.

Drilon said an abrupt reduction in the number of police personnel nationwide would worsen the country’s crime situation.

Under RA 8551, a PNP member should have a formal baccalaureate degree from a recognized institution of learning, and he or she has five years within which to secure it. The compliance period, however, ends in January 2003.

Drilon said the current law mandates that PNP members who fail to satisfy this minimum educational requirement within the five-year period shall either be separated or retired from the police service.

Under SB 1972, policemen will be given another five years to complete their unfinished education.

Drilon said this proposal will benefit some 25,000 policemen representing 22 percent of the total of 111,743 PNP members.

"The forced separation or retirement of some 25,000 policemen will result in sudden depletion of PNP personnel. They cannot be easily replaced considering the limited annual recruitment quota," he said.

Meanwhile, Drilon called for the speedy passage of his proposal (SB 414) giving top local government executives control of police forces.

He said such a move would clear up the legal controversy surrounding the issuance by President Arroyo of Memorandum Order 77 giving Metro Manila mayors operational supervision and control of police forces within their respective jurisdictions.

He noted that some quarters have questioned the legal basis for the memorandum order. Former Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile argued that the order violated the Constitution and exposed the President to impeachment.

Drilon said the passage of SB 414 would improve law enforcement because it would empower local government officials to effectively maintain peace and order in their respective localities.

He said the measure would retain the national scope of the PNP while strengthening its civilian character.

The measure, now pending in the Senate committee on public order and illegal drugs, was passed by the Senate in February 1999 but the House of Representatives sat on it, prompting Drilon to refile it.