CHR invited to coordinate with PNP for upcoming Sona — NCRPO chief

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director PCSupt. Guillermo Eleazar INQUIRER photo / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

The Philippine National Police (PNP) wants to coordinate with the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) for the upcoming State of the Nation Address (Sona) according to National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director PCSupt. Guillermo Eleazar.

“The guidance also of the [PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde] is for us to coordinate with the Commission on Human Rights to invite a representative para sumama sa amin doon (to come with us),” Eleazar said in a press briefing.

“We will invite them [para] mayroon silang (so that they will have a) representative who will join us in our command center… even in our communication van,” he added.

There are two purposes behind the move of transparency in inviting the CHR to work with the PNP for the upcoming SONA, the NCRPO director said.

First is to make sure that the police are “accountable” and “responsible” for their actions, and second is to be the “unbiased defenders” of the police should they be criticized by groups with “malicious intentions.”

“At least ando’n ‘yung CHR (At least CHR will be there). [They will see] what really happened,” he continued.

According to Eleazar, CHR had representatives who checked the Sona location in 2017, but they were sent by the organization’s own initiative.

The NCRPO director clarified that they are not forcing the CHR to do it. It is, however, just a request or invitation for the CHR to join them to see what the police are really up to.

“It’s just an invitation for them to join us kasi nga gusto namin makita na talagang kung ano ginagawa ng kapulisan (because we want them to see what the police are really doing),” Eleazar said.

“Ngayon, parang gusto namin na talagang mayroong identified na member or representative from CHR who will join us, but hindi kami namimilit,” he added.

(Now, we really want an identified member or representative from the CHR who will join us, but we’re not forcing them to do it.) Kristine Macasiray, INQUIRER.net intern/je