PNP makes police clearance hubs available in malls

The Philippine National Police on Wednesday rolled out police clearance hubs in selected malls, an initiative aimed at easing the application process of the certification mostly needed for employment.

At a press conference, PNP chief Police General Camilo Pancratius Cascolan said the operation of police clearance hubs in malls would serve Filipinos better.

But he noted that the PNP is not "competing" with the National Bureau of Investigation in this move.

"We do not compete with the NBI clearance and the NBI clearance is different from the national police clearance although it states kung meron kang mga warrant diyan and we will be sharing this actually," Cascolan said.

"There are talks already with the NBI in regard to cooperation and coordination of these police clearances to the national police clearance (NPC) and the NBI," he added.

Setting up police clearances hubs will also prevent a huge number of people from going to police stations to get this document, according to the PNP chief.

"Obviously there are a lot of people going in and out and the only way that we would be able to ease the crowd in our stations would be [to] push out our clearance offices so that we would be able to give much more importance to those who are applying for clearances," Cascolan said.

Cascolan pointed out that national police clearances should always be one of the requirements of those who need to "work abroad" or those applying for jobs.

"That is why we will be asking that the NPC should also be part of the requirements of those who will be going out, 'yung may kailangan talaga ng clearance then the NPC be one of it," Cascolan said.

"It is very important for us kasi NBI iba 'yung binibigay na clearance, as I told you filed cases lang sila. Sa atin may e-warrant or e-rogue," he added.

After the completion phase of first police clearance desks in SM Mall of Asia, the PNP and SM Management are also eyeing pilot branches in SM Southmall, SM North EDSA, SM Bacoor, SM Pampanga, SM Cabanatuan, SM Cebu, and SM Cagayan de Oro. —LBG, GMA News