Transforming the PNP
It may border on the ludicrous but there’s nothing funny about the sad state of the Philippine National Police (PNP): 80 percent of police stations are considered “illegal settlers” or squatters, and 85 percent of crime victims would rather pray for protection than seek police intervention. However, with the recent celebration of its 17th anniversary comes another chance for the PNP to steer itself in the right direction.
In an effort to get back on track, the Integrated Transformation Program (ITP) was established. Launched in 2003, the program is designed to resolve the police force’s organizational dysfunctions and to improve the quality of police services, strengthen law enforcement capabilities, and enhance the welfare and benefits of personnel and their dependents. Under the PNP ITP is the Program Management Office (PMO), the unit tasked to monitor the implementation of every aspect of the project.
Deputy Director General Jesus Verzosa was appointed by Director General Avelino Razon Jr. to supervise the implementation of the ITP, which has identified 10 priority points focusing on the welfare of policemen, the establishment of model police stations, a computerized data base for PNP personnel, as well as providing for health care and other benefits.
The PMO has also designed and created a legal assistance unit to provide legal aid for police officers who, in the line of duty, are being harassed by moneyed criminals who file criminal cases against them.
Set on transforming the PNP, Razon is considered the “Reform Champion” for his determination to reform the PNP into a world-class police force. Verzosa, who will be receiving the “Cavalier Award for Command and Administration” next month from the Philippine Military Academy Alumni Association, Inc., is being groomed as Razon’s successor and is considered the “Reform Manager.”
In implementing the ITP, Verzosa points out that the PNP leadership is aware that there is really a need to transform the police force as it faces challenges and problems that have greatly reduced their capability to shoot, move, communicate and investigate.
A study showed that 80 percent or 1,282 of the 1,603 police stations all over the country are considered illegal settlers on land or buildings owned by local government units or private individuals. Police precincts are made of inferior materials, making both the station and its personnel vulnerable to hostile enemy action or to forces of nature.
Another study revealed that the PNP is “65 percent short of land patrol vehicles, 80 percent short of aircraft and 76 percent short of watercraft. Limited fuel supply limits us from doing continuous patrols and inadequate communication equipment leads to poor coordination among police personnel, while most police stations lack proper equipment for the execution of their duties.”
The study also noted that 63.16 percent or 80,850 PNP personnel are in dire need of decent shelter. The National Economic and Development Authority also reported that 60 percent of PNP personnel live below the poverty line.
Furthermore, the PNP has only one tertiary hospital situated in
Aside from problems arising from financial constraints, observers at the PNP say one of the biggest problems hounding the PNP is its lack of proper and updated accounting of personnel, including payroll, actual strength, how many are on sick or vacation leave or have died – whether service-related or not – in the service, how many have been suspended or have gone on Absence Without Official Leave (Awol), among others.
It is no wonder then the public has low regard for the PNP. “Only 15 percent of victims of crimes file cases/complaints at the police station level or other law enforcement agencies. This is the situation because most of the victimized see crime reporting to be a waste of time, citing slow police action and a cumbersome process of reporting for their decision not to report their encounter with crime.”
The study adds that “low percentage of crime reporting is an indication of diminishing public trust and confidence in the police and the criminal justice system and people would rather depend on praying for protection.”
Verzosa says the ITP is currently gaining headway in the implementation of its programs aimed to address all organizational and systemic dysfunctions for the 17-year-old police force.
Under the ITP, the PNP has awarded housing units and lot certificates to 105 deserving police personnel and 72 lot certificates to the actual occupants of the area who are mostly retired and active personnel. 160 homes have already been completed out of the 200 housing units undergoing construction at what is now known as “
The PNP-Gawad Kalinga model quartering project at Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan, Taguig, entailed construction of three condominium units which cost P32 million. Fortunately, the Armed Force of the Philippine Savings & Loan Association Inc. has donated P15 million for the project.
The PNP housing board is also working with the National Housing Authority, Housing and Urban Development Coordinationg Council, Department of Interior and Local Government, and Manila Bank for the development of other properties in various places in the
Through the ITP, Verzosa says the huge demand for housing units for PNP personnel has been brought down from 65.86 percent or 84,300 to 63.16 percent or 80,844 of the total 128,000 PNP personnel. More than just the construction of houses, The PNP Personnel Quartering and Housing Program is about creating safe and self-reliant communities and fostering peace and harmony among officers.
Also in line with creating a peaceful community is the Model Police Station (MPS) project which aims to gradually improve physical facilities and equipment of police stations, clarify systems and procedures, and provide personnel with mental and skills training to advance the quality of service rendered by the police. The
At least 179 personnel including representatives from Quezon City Police District and Aklan Provincial Police Office have already undergone re-training in community policing, crime scene investigation and instructor development.
The Marawi Police Station, the second pilot site of the MPS project, and the government of the
The US Department of Justice, on the other hand, has committed to conduct and finance training for police personnel under its International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP), which offers PNP personnel basic and advanced training courses. To date, 2,021 PNP personnel have trained under the program.
Aside from training, the PNP has also improved the PNP manuals aimed to equip all police officers with the appropriate mechanics and procedures that will enable them to respond efficiently and effectively to crime and crisis situations.
Furthering the transformation of the PNP is the upgrading of the Crime Laboratory Service. The Crime Lab is now ISO 9001-2000 certified and has a fully operational Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), which was donated by Japan International Cooperation Agency.
“Our Crime Lab is also pursuing other capacity building activities as part of the ‘one crime laboratory per province plan’ which shall be undertaken over the next five years,” Verzosa reports. “Continuous local and foreign schooling is being offered to crime lab personnel to upgrade and sustain their forensic and technical expertise.”
The PMO executive director adds that an Electronic Records System is being developed “so that we can have the capability to convert labor-intensive paper files into e-format, which in turn would allow us to streamline personnel information management procedures in the PNP.”
To cater to the welfare of its personnel, the PNP met with representatives of the Asian Development Bank for possible technical assistance in the development of a pension and insurance system for the PNP. Uniformed personnel are not covered by the Social Security System or the Government Service Insurance System and only half of the pension budget requirement is alloted to the PNP.
The PNP is also pushing for the passage of its legal agenda in Congress, aimed to amend two specific provisions of the PNP Reform and Reorganization Act of 1998 (RA 8551) which they say serves as a “stumbling block” to many police officers’ desire to be promoted.
The law includes a provision that states that for purposes of promotion, a police officer “should possess a formal baccalaureate degree from a recognized learning institution.” The PNP has proposed that police should not be required to obtain a bachelors degree and for purposes of promotion, they should just be able to comply with the minimum education requirement of having passed at least 72 college units or two years of college education.
Under RA 8551, there is also a provision that seeks to separate or forcibly retire from service PNP personnel who fail to satisfy specific educational qualification requirements.
While the PNP has not released statistics on the total number of police who are facing attrition for this reason or how many have been removed, police officials say the amendment is necessary to prevent the “depletion” of the PNP force.
Finally, to address the public’s hesita tion in contacting the police, the Text 2920 program is being implemented. The public can send text messages as a feedback mechanism as well as a grievance system. The system allows the public to simply send a message to report crimes and other anomalies and expect quick police response.
Other priority projects such as strengthening of PNP training system, PNP physical assets management, and national justice information system are now in the project planning and development stage.
“These projects and all other programs under the PNP-ITP once implemented would help us achieve our goal to transform the PNP into a more capable, effective and credible police force,” says Verzosa.
To symbolize the continuity and sustainability of its advocacy towards genuine transformation, PNP officials have been conducting the “Transformation Torch Run” which was jumpstarted with a 10-kilometer relay run that commenced last November 11.
The run simultaneously started from PNP Grandstand at
A series of torch runs will follow from NCRPO down to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), which Verzosa says will “continuously inform our PNP personnel and other stakeholders of the on-going programs of the PNP and to increase the level of police officers’ awareness of the ITP.”
He adds, “the PNP-ITP is a roadmap on how to develop the PNP into a very ideal police institution. Many of the reform programs under it have been implemented or are currently being implemented.” If all goes as planned, the PNP is on the right track towards a much needed transformation.
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