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Ex-PNP chief gives tips on how to create a better police force

October 28, 2024 Alfred P. Dalizon 105 views

PNPA FORMER Philippine National Police (PNP) chief has aired his thoughts on how to transform the police force and make it apolitical amid PNP chief General Rommel Francisco D. Marbil’s appeal to Congress to address their organizational flaws.

Arturo C. Lomibao, the 12th PNP chief during the term of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, said his piece on Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Juanito Victor ‘Jonvic’ C. Remulla Jr.’s intention to ‘flatten the organization by reducing the number of its generals to 25 from 111.

Lomibao expressed support for Gen. Marbil’s call on Congress to amend Republic Act 6975 or the 1990 Act which established the PNP under a reorganized DILG in order 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.

Drawing from his decades of experience as a police officer, Lomibao also offered his suggestions to institute reforms and improve public perception on the organization.

“Recent developments have put the PNP in a very bad light. The biggest and most organized crime syndicate in the country. The most hated government agency in the Philippines.”

Even the Council of Chiefs, a group of retired PNP chiefs, was not spared. A sweeping accusation was made public that a former chief is in the monthly payroll of the POGOs,” he said.

He referred to the series of investigations by the House of Representatives and Senate on extra-judicial killings and illegal drugs during the former Duterte administration which brought to light the involvement of both high and low-ranking PNP personnel.

“As a former PC (Philippine Constabulary) officer who joined the PNP when DILG was created and who climbed the hierarchical levels of command from the lowest company/district to the provincial, regional and national levels and finally, to the top position, hereunder are my comments and observations,” he told the Journal Group.

“Briefly, the PNP was established by virtue of RA 6975 known as DILG Act of 1990. This singular Act empowered the Local Chief Executives (LCEs)-city/municipal mayors, and provincial governors to select their provincial or city/municipal police chiefs as the case may be,” he said.

“By placing the PNP and the local government in one department, the police forces under the control of the local politicians destroyed the integrity and professionalism of the police organization,” Lomibao said.

Lomibao, 74, said that to insulate the PNP from partisan politics, there is a need to amend RA 6975 and RA 8551 and establish a separate and distinct PNP.

“Why not create a department purely manned by the PNP and perhaps, the Jail and Fire Services? In that way, they will be insulated from politics. It can be called Department of Public Safety and Internal Security (DPSIS),” he said.

The former PNP chief also described the National Police Commission (Napolcom) as a redundant body.

He said that the body is the forerunner of the Police Commission (PolCom) which was created by virtue of the Police Act of 1966.

The mandate of which was to establish uniform policies nationwide that will govern various and distinct local police forces and thereby lay the foundations of reform in the police organization.

“Thus, when the local police forces were integrated in the ’70s into the erstwhile Integrated National Police (INP) and now the PNP, the raison d’ etre of the NAPOLCOM no longer exists,” he said.

“It will take a Constitutional amendment however, to abolish the Napolcom and legislative amendments of RA 6975 and RA 8551 as well.

In practice, Napolcom overlaps, if not duplicates the functions of the PNP National Headquarters Directorial Staffs while the Napolcom regional offices duplicates the functions of the PNP regional offices (PROs),” he added.

Lomibao said that Even the DILG regional offices lay claim to some kind of supervision over the PNP regional offices because the PNP is supposedly a bureau under the DILG.

“Add the Civil Service Commission (CSC) as another controlling body of the PNP and you have an organization run by too many bosses. “Too many cooks spoil the broth.”

RA 8551 that empowers the Local Chief Executives (LCEs) to select their chiefs of police has to be amended as it breeds corruption.

The usual practice on the ground is for interested (READ: enterprising) police officers to seek the endorsement of the LCEs even before the list is delivered to subject LCEs.

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