
DILG-PNP needs ‘win-win solution’ to address promotion issue
I’M referring to the need for the Department of the Interior and Local Government headed by Secretary Jonvic Remulla and the Philippine National Police leadership led by General Rommel Marbil to come up with a real “win-win solution” to address the current issue on 3rd-Level promotion in the force which has been causing demoralizaiton to those affected.
I’ve got it from highly-placed sources that a total of 32 officials qualified for promotion to the rank of Brigadier General and Colonels have been affected by the move of Sec. Remulla to “correct dysfunctions” in the PNP when it comes to placement and promotion as only eight of them are qualified as provided by the PNP law.
However, there are over a dozen applications for promotion pending at the Office of the DILG Secretary which are already for endorsement to the Office of the President. A major concern of course is that ‘time may be running out” for some of those qualified for promotion especially those whose promotion papers have been filed as early as last November.
Many have told me that during the SAF 44 memorial rites last week, Sec. Remulla admitted when he spoke to the audience that some are mad at him or some may be questioning his intents in the PNP promotion system. However, he defended his moves saying it would be good for the organization in the future.
Prior to that, Sec. Jonvic Remulla also aired his intention to “flatten the organization” by reducing the number of PNP generals to only 25 even as Gen. Marbil last year renewed his appeal for Congress to address their organizational flaws and align with the latest global trends in law enforcement. At present, there are 118 star-rank officials in the PNP compared to the required 154. The proposed Interim of the PNP Structure calls for 132 star-rank officials including 132 required Brigadier Generals.
The top cop was referring to the need to amend Republic Act 6975 or the 1990 Act which established the PNP under a reorganized DILG. In pushing for further reforms in the 232,000-strong national police force, Gen. Marbil underscored the necessity of revisiting and restructuring the PNP under RA 6975 to resolve systemic challenges that impede the force’s ability and capacity to respond swiftly and effectively.
According to the PNP chief, transitioning the PNP into a “flatter, more streamlined structure,” would lead to quicker decision-making, especially during emergencies, improve accountability, and promote better communication across all ranks.
Sec. Remulla agreed with the top cop saying the PNP is “top-heavy” and in need of streamlining to “flatten the administration.” “There are a lot of generals now without commands if you look at it. Meron tayong area police of command na wala namang tao sa ilalim nila. Madami tayong redundancies na kailangang i-trim down,” he said.
The PNP chief maintained that the current hierarchical system often slows down decision-making, particularly in critical situations where prompt responses are vital.
Thus, he emphasized that decentralizing the PNP would empower lower-ranking officers to make localized decisions, thereby reducing delays and enhancing operational efficiency.
The top cop has called on lawmakers to recognize the importance of strengthening the law to cure the organizational deficiencies within the PNP as he noted that while RA 6975 was groundbreaking at its inception, it must evolve to meet the demands of modern policing.
By restructuring the PNP, the Philippines would move closer to building a police force that is efficient, accountable, and adequately equipped to serve the public in the 21st century, he asserted.
Gen. Marbil last year explained that at the time of the PNP’s establishment, the police force had fewer than 150,000 officers, a figure that no longer meets the current demands for public safety and crime prevention as over the past three decades, their number has doubled.
He also pointed out that a flatter organizational structure would improve accountability, as clearer roles and responsibilities would facilitate better oversight and performance monitoring, which are crucial elements in maintaining public trust and upholding law enforcement standards.
Moreover, he noted that streamlining the PNP would enhance communication throughout the organization, eliminating unnecessary bottlenecks and fostering collaboration between field officers and senior leadership.
“This kind of structure encourages leadership and initiative at all levels, inspiring creativity and innovation in tackling the country’s security challenges,” the PNP chief explained.
In advocating for the PNP’s reorganization, Gen. Marbil also aligned his recommendations with global law enforcement trends.
“The world is changing fast, and so should the PNP,” the top cop asserted as he added that continuous reform is necessary for the police force to remain effective, adaptable and responsive to both domestic and international challenges.
Under Sec. Remulla’s proposed policy, affected PNP star-rank officials will be encouraged to take early retirement. He added that the Civil Service Commission rules requiring promotion every three years contributed to the ‘top-heavy’ PNP structure, thus the need to extend the promotion timeline to every five years to slow down career progression in the national police force.
The DILG chief has commissioned his alma mater, the University of the Philippines to study the recommendation to trim down the number of generals in the police force saying that reforming the PNP is one of his priorities in order to address “redundancies” in the organization and make it more efficient.
For a start, the DILG and the PNP has agreed to slowly abolish the five PNP Area Police Commands with the assurance that none of its officer or men would be displaced, many of them to be assigned in the soon-to-be activated Negros Island Command.
Sec. Remulla previously noted that police generals were qualified to get a promotion every three years based on civil service rules. As a result, many of them have ended up without a command to supervise. “We want to change a lot of that, to make it five years so that the rate of promotions is slower,” the Caviteño Cabinet official-brother of Justice Sec. Boying Remulla said.
As I have mentioned before, a number of retired PNP chiefs and generals have supported Gen. Marbil’s call on Congress to help them address their organizational flaws.
One even said that Republic Act 8551 otherwise known as the PNP Reform and Reorganization Act of 1998 was implemented even without an Implementing Rules and Regulations.
RA 8551 strengthened and expanded the Napolcom’s authority over the PNP including the administration of police entrance examinations. The retired officials all agreed that there were a number of PNP units in the past that were created without joint resolutions of Congress and it was only the previous Napolcom leadership which is chaired by the DILG chief which approved their creation.