Abolition of DIPOs, strengthening of police clearances proposed in PNP modernization law

The Philippine National Police expressed commitment Tuesday to abolish the controversial Directorate for Integrated Police Operations (DIPO) post which has been seen as a means to promote police officers indiscriminately. 

 

“With or without the DIPO, the PNP can function—even better without. The Chief PNP can directly supervise the Regional Commands all over the Philippines. I strongly support the deletion of the DIPO,” Pangasinan Rep. Leopoldo Bataoil said in a meeting of the Technical Working Group assigned to tackle the proposed Philippine National Police Modernization Act.

 

Meanwhile, representatives of the PNP present at the meeting assured the public that under the Organizational Development component of the proposed bill, the DIPO will be reviewed and will most likely be abolished.

 

Other aspects of the proposed modernization include Human Resource Development, 

Doctrine Development, Infrastructure Development, and Equipment Acquisition and Modernization. 

 

The PNP Modernization Program shall be implemented over a period of five years after approval of the law, and will cost some P86 billion, said the PNP.

 

The Technical Working group assigned Technical Sub-working Groups to study the specific provisions of the proposed law. 

National Police Clearance
 

The PNP also expressed a desire to collect fees for a National Police Clearance which they say will have a more widespread coverage than the current NBI clearance which is used for travel and for local employment. 

 

“The clearance will integrate all e-projects. We are able to capture the crime data info of every individual, which the NBI cannot. The NBI has only 500 personnel compared to the over 150,000 of the PNP,” the PNP said.

 

But representatives of the PNP clarified that the National Police Clearance is not meant to completely replace the existing NBI clearance. 

 

“We do not intend to supplant the existing clearance. But data from the PNP is probably more available. We have more data to be imputed to the clearance since we gather crime data, while the NBI collects non-crime data,” the PNP said.

Policemen as community leaders
 

Meanwhile several solons saw issue with a provision within the proposed modernization law that propels policemen as community leaders, noting that at present they are not able to fulfill their basic duties of solving and preventing crimes.

 

“You can't even do your job to prevent or solve crime and now you want to be community leaders?” said Antipolo Rep. Romeo Acop, himself a former Chief Superintendent within the PNP.

 

For her part, Nueva Ecija Rep. Magnolia Antonino-Nandes said the PNP should address its image first, before policemen can aspire to be community leaders.

 

“The basic problem I think is the image of the policeman. The community doesn't see the policeman as an ally. Nakakatakot sila. 'Di ba sinasabi ng mga magulang, ‘Wag kang makulit. Huhuliin ka ng pulis,’” she said. 

 

“The community needs to see policemen as protectors, as their allies. That's the image we need to work on. It's not so much community leaders; it's how do we connect the police force to the community in a way that the community sees the real job of the policeman which is to protect them,” she added. —KG, GMA News