The Philippine National Police is only 22 years old, but the country’s police service traces its roots to 1901, when the Insular Constabulary was organized at the start of the American period. The service has faced colonial conflict, a world war and the painful road to recovery, martial law, two people power revolts, numerous coup attempts, and the difficult transition from dictatorship to a functioning democracy.
For a long time since the start of the police service, cops were generally regarded by the public as trusted keepers of the peace. Martial law changed this, with the Philippine Constabulary and one of its units in particular, the Metrocom Intelligence Service Group, seen as enforcers of Ferdinand Marcos’ authoritarian rule.
The latest incarnation of the police service, which incorporated the constabulary into the civilian PNP, has not fully recovered from the public perceptions shaped by the martial law years. This is because the collapse of the dictatorship and restoration of democracy in 1986 did not end human rights abuses attributed to cops or their involvement in organized crime. Corruption also did not end, with the first director general of the PNP himself indicted for graft.
Today, as the police service marks its 112th year, its professionalization is a work in progress. Several ranking police officials are facing charges for a massacre earlier this year, and retired PNP generals including former chiefs have been indicted for corruption in connection with supply procurement anomalies.
Effective law enforcement is essential for economic growth and a strong democracy. The PNP is not lacking in competent, honest and dedicated men and women – cops who lay their lives on the line every day for modest pay in the name of public service. The police service celebrates its 112th year today with the theme, “serbisyong makatotohanan, handog ng pulisya sa ating pamayanan†– honest service rendered by the police to the public. There are numerous stories of police courage and dedicated service that are worth telling. These exemplary public servants should not allow their organization to be ruined by the rotten eggs in their midst.