To include highly technical professions

THREE legislators on Tuesday asked the Philippine National Police (PNP) to recruit aeronautical engineers, molecular biologists, psychologists, information technology (IT) experts, and other professionals with highly technical skills as a means to strengthen its capability in meeting new challenges to law enforcement and public safety.

Benguet Rep. Eric Yap, and ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Edvic Yap, and Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte filed House Bill (HB) No. 7686 to institutionalize the expansion of the PNP’s lateral entry program by amending Section 33 of Republic Act (RA) 6975.

“The hiring of professionals with highly technical qualifications, which will be done through the PNP’s lateral entry program, will significantly help the police organization keep people safe from crime and other threats to public safety at a time when criminals have turned to technology and other sophisticated means to commit their illegal acts,” they said.

“Through the said proposed measure, more professionals will be recruited to the PNP service, in hopes of strengthening the PNP’s human resource and technical capabilities in serving the people and addressing the various challenges in the institution’s campaign against criminality, illegal drugs, violent extremism, lawlessness, terrorism, natural manmade disasters, among others,” the bill’s authors said.

HB 7686 also aims to institutionalize the appointment of graduates of the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) to the initial rank of Police Lieutenant instead of Police Inspector under RA 6975.

Under the measure, the lateral entry of officers to the PNP shall include “all those with highly technical qualifications,” such as aeronautical engineers, chemical engineers, computer engineers, chemists, civil engineers, criminologists, dentists, electrical engineers, electronics engineers, molecular biologists, naval architects, and nuclear physicists.

Professionals in the fields of guidance and counseling, sports medicine, and veterinary medicine; mechanical engineers, medical technologists, metallurgical engineers, nurses, nutritionists and dieticians, optometrists, physical therapists, psychologists, psychometricians, social workers, IT professionals, and graduates of forensic sciences are also included in the proposed expansion of the PNP’s lateral entry program.

“Abovementioned professionals shall be accommodated to the PNP service to fill up vacancies in any of the PNP offices/units for technical services, provided they possess an appropriate PRC (Professional Regulation Commission) or CSP (Certified Security Professional) eligibility,” the bill states.

These professionals will be appointed with the rank of Police Lieutenant, as provided under the bill.

HB 7686 also provides that doctors of medicine, members of the Bar, priests/pastors/imams, and licensed aircraft pilots shall be appointed to the rank of Police Captain under the PNP’s lateral entry program.

Lateral entry is a provision under RA 6975 that allows the appointment of police commissioned officers (PCOs) to fill up the vacancies for the line and technical service positions in the PNP.

Licensed criminologists and other professionals with PRC licenses and CSP eligibility who are applying for lateral entry line officership may be appointed to the rank of Police Lieutenant under the bill instead of Police Inspector as provided under RA 6975.

This amendment to the law will give Police Non-Commissioned Officers (PNCOs) and Non-Uniformed Personnel (NUP) who are already in the service for at least five years and have obtained their PRC and CSP eligibility the opportunity to be appointed to the higher rank of Police Lieutenant.

Under the bill, the PNCO should at least hold the rank of Police Staff Sergeant and the NUP in a position with a Salary Grade 14 to be able to qualify for the appointment.